All This Time
by nori of the sea
Summary: Natsu and Gray's friendship was originally based on arguments and competition, but now things are starting to change. As the two grow closer and meet more guild members, something else is also beginning to change. Beyond the safe haven of the guild, something dark is lurking deep within the shadows. Will their team be able to conquer what is to come, or will it be their demise?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

* 8 years old*

The guild hall was rowdy as usual in the quaint town of Magnolia. Of course, the townspeople were used to this kind of behavior from the resident guild. But everyone, even the guild mates, could feel something big was going to happen that would change their lives forever, they just didn't know what. The master, Makarov, was leading a small boy who looked to be around eight, towards the guild. The boy was walking alongside the older man, excitedly gazing up at the place known as "Fairy Tail".

The doors swung open to reveal tons of mages drinking and messing around. Everyone instantly looked to the guild doors where their master stood and then all eyes looked at the young boy in surprise. There were quite a few things that stood out about this young child. One, he was wearing a scarf in the heat of midsummer, and two, he had spiky, pink hair that stuck out in all directions. Master Makarov let the kid explore and showed him around. He was introduced to many people, but two particularly stuck out to the child. One was a young red haired girl named Erza who wore armor and gave off a threatening aura, and the other was a young raven haired boy named Gray who seemed to put on a façade of confidence and superiority, not to mention a stripping habit. Eventually, Makarov asked, "So do you like the guild, Natsu?" The boy now known as Natsu smiled a genuine, huge smile and replied, "Yeah! It's awesome! I wanna join!" And from that moment on, the guild would never be the same. Natsu would change so many lives, especially a certain raven haired boy.

*Gray's pov*

Natsu and Gray lay panting next to each other by the riverbank. They had finally called a truce for one of their many infamous fights.

"How do you act so strong, Natsu? I know Igneel left you in the forest before you came here, but you're always happy." Gray whispered.

"I'm not strong, not yet anyways but I will be, and then I'm gonna find him, and ask him why he left me. I'm sad, but I have people like you now so I don't really need to act like anything." Natsu turned and smiled broadly at Gray, who turned away with a tint of pink to his cheeks.

"Whatever, I was just curious, so what the hell are ya smilin' for?" He grumbled while looking at anything but Natsu. Natsu chuckled and stood up. He reached a hand out and helped Gray to his feet.

"Nothing," Natsu replied, "Let's go back now Gray." Gray watched Natsu walk a little ahead of him. There was something different about the pink haired idiot than the others he talked to. All he knew was that he didn't want to lose Natsu like all the others in his past. He couldn't let Natsu get too close because everyone who did died, and he couldn't let that happen.

*12 years old*

Gray lurched awake screaming with wide eyes. The rain could be heard pounding on the roof. He glanced around nervously, taking in the room. Deliora wasn't here, it was a nightmare. Lightning flashed from outside his window. He took in huge gulps of air, trying to calm down. Thunder boomed then, making him jump. Then he heard a creak near his door. He grabbed his covers and hid, shaking with fear. The door creaked open and he could hear someone walk in. He put his hands together, ready to attack, when the covers were ripped off his bed. He screamed again and started the natural hand motions when a warm hand grabbed his wrist. He instantly calmed down and looked up into onyx eyes that were filled with concern. He could feel his eyes tear up just by seeing a familiar face. They weren't here, they couldn't get him.

"Gray? Are you okay?" Natsu whispered. He could feel the tears start falling and closed his eyes in an attempt to prevent them from escaping, but they refused to stop. Gray felt Natsu sit on the bed and hug him. A small voice reminded him to keep Natsu at a distance, so he attempted to shove the pinkette away from him, but Natsu just held on tighter.

"Natsu let me go. I'm fine. Just leave me alone." He whispered. He felt Natsu loosen his hold, and for a second he actually thought he convinced Natsu to stay away. But then he was gripped even tighter. He could feel Natsu shaking from frustration.

"Why? Why won't you let me help you? I know you're hurting and sad. Why are you so insistent on pushing me away?" Natsu angrily whispered. Gray turned and looked at Natsu with wide eyes. He wants to help? Natsu's eyes were shadowed by his bangs, but anyone could tell he was pissed. Natsu looked up at him and onyx met cerulean. Gray could tell Natsu was never going to give up just by the sheer determination in his eyes. That's when he realized that it was already too late. Gray sealed Natsu's fate that day by the river, because that's when he became his friend. No matter how hard Gray could try to distance himself, Natsu wouldn't stop caring.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're scared?" Natsu gently asked. He reached out and wiped Gray's tears off his cheeks. Gray looked away and nodded while Natsu moved so they were looking eye to eye. He smiled encouragingly for Gray to speak.

"I had a nightmare. It was about a demon called Deliora. He was the demon who ruined my hometown and killed my parents. I was taken in by Ur and Lyon after they found me in the rubble. I had heard news of where Deliora was and went to take revenge, but Ur ended up saving me and Lyon, killing Deliora but dying in the process. In the dream, he was back, and Ur died for nothing. He was here in Magnolia and everyone in the guild was failing at trying to kill him, most of them dying as well. No one could beat him! Everyone died! Erza and the master! You even died! I was left all alone and he turned his gaze on me. And that's when I woke up," he cried. Natsu hugged him and reassured him that he'd be okay and that he would always protect him. Eventually Gray's crying subsided as he slowly started to drift back to sleep. Natsu tucked him back into his bed and got up to leave.

*Natsu's pov*

"Sweet dreams, Gray," he whispered. He turned and started to walk towards the door when he felt a tug on the back of his vest. He turned around and looked at the sleepy ice mage. He could see the fear in his eyes even as he drifted off.

"Stay with me… Please," Gray mumbled. Natsu nodded and climbed in next to Gray and pulled the covers up around them. Gray curled into Natsu's side and fell asleep almost instantly. Natsu watched him sleep peacefully before drifting off himself.

Natsu woke up and rubbed his tired eyes. He sighed and looked up.

"What the….? This is not my ceiling..." he muttered. Sunshine poured in through the window. He moved to get up and found that he couldn't. He glanced down and noticed that Gray was sleeping on his chest. That's when he remembered what had happened last night and how he got here. He lay back down and waited for the ice block to wake up. Soon the ice mage's eyes opened and looked at him. They made eye contact and Gray smiled, then shock spread across his face as he leapt completely away from him.

"Natsu?! What the hell are you doing here?!" he exclaimed as he blushed. Gray moved his hands to the all too familiar hand positions and Natsu paled, not wanting to fight this early. He raised his hands up in surrender before taking a deep breath.

"Gray. Listen to me, this isn't what it looks like, I swear. I-I-I didn't do anything, there was a scream and I knew it was you, so I came here and you were crying, so I tried to cheer you up after you told me your nightmare, but I failed and you still asked me to stay, so here I am," Natsu blurted out in a rush and then let out a sigh. Understanding dawned on the raven's face. He noticed Gray instantly relax and flop onto his back on the bed.

"What am I going to do about you now?" Gray muttered aloud. Natsu laughed and Gray couldn't help but admire it. Natsu leaned over so his face was above Gray's and smiled one of his infectious smiles, which soon had Gray smiling too.

"Nothing, you're going to accept that I will never leave you alone. We are friends after all, right?" He said as if it were obvious.

"I'm going to the guild. If you wanna come, better hurry and put some clothes on." He walked out and to his own room to change before heading out.

*Gray's pov*

The storm from last night had passed; he could hear birds chirping from outside. The sun was streaming in and he knew it was going to be a beautiful day. He stayed where he was for a minute or two, just thinking about how Natsu always seemed to be able to make him smile effortlessly. He jumped up and got dressed quickly to head to the guild with the pinkette. When he got down to the first floor of the guys' dormitory, he saw Natsu leaning against a pillar waiting with Happy. He walked up and shoved Natsu playfully. Natsu quickly regained his balance and started walking alongside him.

"Hey! Watch it, ice block! I may have to kick your ass like usual!" Natsu said, obviously teasing. He smiled while Gray just raised his eyebrow.

"You're gonna kick **my **ass? I'd beg to differ, flame brain." By the time they got to the guild, they were on the verge of a full out brawl. A dark aura sent shivers down both of their spines. They turned simultaneously while subconsciously moving towards each other and saw their red headed friend standing there with a scary expression and hands on her hips.

"H-h-e-y, Erza. We um, we were just m-messing around so don't k-kill us," Gray stuttered out.

"Aye," Natsu hastily replied. Erza regarded the two suspiciously before her menacing aura dissipated.

"Well then, good morning to you two. As a warning, I will not hesitate to punish either of you if you misbehave." With that, she walked into the guild hall. They looked at each other and sighed in relief. For a twelve year old girl, she could be seriously scary.

"That was close. Well let's go!" Natsu said while walking into the guild as he followed close behind. Gray sat down near Erza and Natsu and knew that if they weren't here, Gray would never have been able to be this happy. Soon enough, Natsu had started a fight between almost every guild member. Natsu's eyes connected with Gray's, making them both smile until a stool smacked into Gray's head, causing him to scowl and join the brawl, stripping off his clothes without a second thought. Over all the noise, Cana could be heard yelling.

"Gray! You're clothes!" she reminded him, but the comment went unnoticed by the raven, who was smirking, already immersed into the fight. She smiled, letting the subject drop for now. Meanwhile, outside the guild hall, a shadowy figure watched and waited for the perfect moment, willing to be patient for years as long as he succeeded in getting what he wanted.

*present day ~ 18 years old*

Gray sat on a guild stool with a bored expression. He had left the dormitory a year or two ago when Natsu had decided to move out and get his own place with Happy. Now they lived in their own apartments, so they came to the guild at different times. Then there was always Lucy, who Natsu was with a lot because he was the one who brought her to join. They were all great friends, but he couldn't deny being a little sad that he couldn't be with Natsu as much as they used to be as kids. He let out a sigh of exasperation. All of a sudden, he was hugged tightly from behind.

"Oh god, don't tell me it's…" He thought to himself just as the person spoke.

"GRAY-SAMA! I just got back from a mission!" she said while still hugging him. He cringed internally, why of all times did Juvia have to show up now? Before he could reply, the guild hall doors were kicked open. His eyes immediately flew to the door, already having an idea of who it was. Sure enough, in walked the pinkette with Lucy and Happy in tow after completing a mission as well. Natsu was smiling broadly like usual while Lucy was complaining about him going overboard again. Natsu was going on about how it wasn't **that** bad while looking around the guild. Gray couldn't help but watch them. Juvia noticed him looking at them and immediately got a competitive gleam in her eye.

"Lucy is my love rival!" she muttered darkly. He didn't like Lucy like that; they were good friends, so he just ignored Juvia. Erza sat down next to him, pointing out how loud Natsu was, and Gray couldn't help but agree with a small smile. Natsu was still looking around, but when he looked in their direction, he immediately made his way over with Lucy on his tail.

"Hey ice block, Erza," Natsu said while smiling and plopping down at the table. Lucy waved and sat down as well. Gray looked at Natsu, he was smiling but it seemed like he was forcing it too much. At that moment, Natsu glanced over; their eyes met and concern was clearly present in the onyx orbs. He cocked his head slightly in a form of a question as Natsu leaned over towards him. Gray leaned over as well to hear what he was going to say. None of this little telepathic communication went unnoticed by Erza and Lucy, who shared a look of understanding.

"There's going to be a huge thunderstorm tonight you know," Natsu whispered hurriedly. Gray froze for a second but Natsu didn't seem done talking.

"Do you think you'll be okay? I mean, I know you can handle yourself, but still, it's supposed to get really bad." Natsu finished and looked him in the eyes, still worried.

"I'll be fine, I'm sure. It's just a thunderstorm," he whispered to Natsu. He knew that the dragon slayer was talking about the nightmares he always had when thunderstorms would occur. Natsu used to come and stay with him whenever a nightmare occurred, but now they lived separately. He wasn't going to make Natsu watch over him, it was just a storm after all. So he smiled a small smile while still looking at Natsu to reassure him. Natsu slowly nodded in understanding before looking towards Lucy and Erza. They all talked together for awhile about Natsu and Lucy's mission, but then the sky darkened and the temperature started to lower. Gray felt a chill run down his spine and he got a bad feeling about tonight. He looked over at Natsu again only to find he was already watching him, in fact, all three of his friends were. They all seemed worried about him. He must have looked freaked out.

"Gray, are you sure you'll be okay? You look really scared," Lucy asked.

"I have a bad feeling that something's going to happen," he whispered to them. All of their eyes went wide. Erza put a hand on his shoulder.

"How do you know that, Gray?" she asked with gentle concern. He wasn't sure how to explain it to them.

"Well, ever since I was younger I had certain premonitions before something big happened. I never knew what but I just felt it before it actually occurred." Everyone was shocked; he had never told anyone ever since he found out about it. Natsu was the first to act and immediately their eyes met.

"Do you know anything else besides that something will happen?" Natsu held eye contact as Gray shook his head. Natsu ran a hand through his pink locks, frustrated.

"Okay, here's what I think we should do. Erza should go tell Gramps and then he can warn all the other guild mates. Everyone can stay in groups for more protection, like when Phantom Lord attacked. Meanwhile, the dragon slayers should stay on guard for anyone who seems or smells suspicious. We can even ask Freed to put up a barrier to keep people with bad intentions out of Magnolia, right?" Gray was actually impressed that Natsu came up with a concrete plan.

"That's a good plan, but Freed's barrier won't work against people already in the city, so everyone should still stay on guard." With that, Erza took off to go tell the master. Natsu sat down next to him.

"So do you know anything about this power?" He looked over at the pinkette and could see something in his eyes that he couldn't quite place. He shook is head, feeling useless.

"But you've known about it since before we met?" He could definitely feel something about Natsu that didn't make sense. He nodded swiftly, and then he understood. Natsu was angry; he had an edge to his voice that Gray rarely heard.

"So you had a premonition before Lisanna died? And before Phantom Lord attacked? And you didn't even tell us that something might happen?" Natsu's bangs covered his eyes, but his mouth was set in a grim line.

"Don't be mad, I didn't even know if it actually meant anything until after they occurred, after that I realized they must actually be connected. I never really believed before, it just sounds crazy!" Gray pleaded for Natsu to make eye contact. But regretted it when the dragon slayer looked at him. He saw so much pain in those eyes that his heart broke just seeing it.

"Don't worry Gray, I'm not mad. It's all in the past now anyways." He continued to look into Natsu's eyes, worried. Natsu suddenly grew distant and knowing him, he was thinking of ways he could have saved her. He was like this when she first passed away two years ago.

After being informed of the plan and groups, and once the barrier was set up, the guild dispersed. Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Lucy were going to stay at Lucy's, so that Natsu would be near the center of town to keep track of people that were potentially dangerous; he was one of the dragon slayers after all. They reached the apartment in no time. Erza immediately got into the shower, while the rest stayed in the main room.

*Natsu's pov*

He couldn't help dwelling on the fact that he could have saved her, he should have told her not to go. He should have- Gray's hand was resting on his shoulder, the chill instantly bringing the pinkette back to reality. Just as he started to realize where he was, a hand slapped him in the face. Lucy came into view and she had tears in her eyes. He could hear Erza singing in the shower.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" he turned to see Gray sitting there staring at him as well.

"You were thinking about things you can't control. I know that girl Lisanna was your friend, but she's gone, and she is and **will **be missed. On the other hand, we have a situation happening right now! You should be worrying about the people who you can still save if you just concentrated!" He put a hand to the stinging cheek and took in what she said to him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have slapped him," Gray suggested, "I mean he seemed-"

"No it's fine. She's right. I have people that are important to me in danger that I should be worrying about." He looked up with a new determined expression. Lucy looked smug while Gray still stared. All of a sudden, he sensed something off. He could feel Gray staring at him and starting to freak out when the ice mage noticed Natsu was focused.

"Natsu, what's happening? Do you sense something?" Gray asked hurriedly. Immediately, Lucy stopped messing around, growing serious. Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously as he moved towards the door. He locked it and headed into the kitchen to lock the windows. He had locked the last one and was about to go back and lock the ones in the other room when he heard a thud come from the direction he was headed in.

"Gray? Lucy?" he called out but got no answer. He walked into the other room cautiously and instantly saw Lucy being held by a figure in a dark hooded robe. She was gagged and her arms were bound but she was still struggling against her captor, eyes filled with fear. He then noticed another figure dragging Gray to the window Natsu hadn't locked yet with a hand over his mouth. Gray jerked away and managed to say a warning, but it was little too late.

"Natsu! Look out!" was all he heard before his vision went black.

*Gray's pov*

He struggled against his captor as he saw Natsu hit the ground with a thud. The hooded man signaled the others to follow him out. The one holding Lucy shoved her to the ground violently, and stepped on her head, grinding it into the floor. The man passed by Natsu and picked him up by his hair then slammed his head into the wall, making a dent. He dropped Natsu and his body slid to the ground, slumped over. Gray struggled even more, seeing how they were treating his friends.

"Stop messing around, he's out cold, let's go. We got what we came here for," he heard his captor said, obviously in charge. The other man nodded and followed him out, but not before spitting on both of the weakened mages and knocking over some furniture. He could see Lucy crying with blood dripping from a wound on her head. He reached out to her as his captor knocked him out cold.

*Erza's pov*

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her wet body. She then wrapped another towel around her head and left the bathroom.

"Whoa. What happened? Did Natsu and Gray get into another one of their brawls?" She glanced around taking in the disaster, wondering where everyone was when her eyes immediately landed on Lucy, who was squirming towards her. Her eyes narrowed and took in Natsu slumped against the wall with blood streaming down his face. She knelt next to Lucy and untied her.

"Lucy, what happened and where is Gray?" Lucy hugged Erza tightly while sobbing.

"It was so horrible! They came through the window and grabbed me and Gray, and then Natsu came in and they knocked him out with a metal baseball bat! They threw me to the floor and grinded my head into the ground, and then they slammed Natsu's head into the wall! I-it left a dent… then they spit on us and took Gray away!" She cried. Erza set her on her bed and went to check on Natsu. He was bleeding profusely from somewhere on his head. She called the master informing him of the situation and told him to get Porlyusica, and grabbed up Natsu and Lucy, trekking to the guild.

*Gray's pov*

He woke up in a dark cell all alone. He instantly panicked and his breathing became irregular. He jerked his hands but found he was chained to the wall and floor with cuffs that prevented his magic from flowing. Shit, what did he get dragged into? He then heard an eerily familiar voice that he couldn't quite place.

"Rise and shine, Gray," the voice mocked. "Tell me, where is it?"

"Where is what? Who are you?" Gray could barely see anything in the cold cell, not that the cold bothered him. He tried to think about where he had heard the voice before but he just couldn't remember. The voice broke his concentration and spoke again.

"You don't remember me? I'll admit that hurts a little, but not as much as you lying straight to my face. I know you know where it is." He heard a threatening undertone to that sarcastic comment. Even if he wanted to tell this guy where whatever he was looking for was, he couldn't. He didn't even have the slightest clue as to what this idiot was going on about.

"Look, I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," he spat out.

"I guess it can't be helped. We will just have to force it out of you then." The voice cackled as he heard approaching footsteps.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

Chapter Two

*Natsu's pov*

He cracked an eye open to find himself in a white room and he instantly sat up, looking around frantically. He barely had time to register he was in the guild infirmary before he cried out in pain, almost blacking out again. Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and Gajeel burst in. For a minute he was almost relieved, until he noticed Gray was the only one missing. He struggled to get to his feet, clearly seeing no reason, Erza shoved him back onto his bed forcefully.

"Gray! Where is he?!" Natsu growled. Blood started to soak through his bandage wrapped around his head. He still struggled against them.

"Natsu! Stop! You're starting to bleed again! You're only going to make it worse for yourself!" Erza yelled at him, but he couldn't see reason. He had to protect Gray. He made a promise to him and he was going to keep it. He would not let another friend die.

"Natsu. Please stop, Gray would hate to see you like this, deep down you know that. Just stop fighting us; we're all on the same side. We all want to get him back. Just trust us," Lucy pleaded. Natsu stopped struggling almost instantly. Wendy then used her sky magic to stop the bleeding and rewrapped his head. They propped him up gently on the pillows.

"What have you guys learned while I was out?" Everyone pulled up chairs and prepared to clue him in on what he missed.

"We had Levy look into anything that could be related to Gray's premonitions and she's still looking. She's got a few ideas already but she said she would get back to us on that. Gajeel and Wendy can't smell Gray anywhere in Magnolia or around it, so we know he's nowhere near by. Other than that, we've been waiting for you to wake up." He nodded, taking it all in.

"Once Levy figures out more about Gray's premonitions or whatever, tell her to look into ways we can contact Gray. We need to know where he is. If there's anyone who can figure out how in such a short time, it's Levy. Someone should also tell Lyon what happened." He sighed, feeling completely helpless. Erza left to inform Lyon with a small nod. Gajeel also nodded and left to tell Levy. Everyone knew they liked each other, except for them apparently. He sighed and slowly moved to get up. He winced as he moved to the mirror. He looked awful. He had a huge bandage that wrapped all the way around his head. He probably had some fractured ribs judging by the slight pain he felt when he inhaled. He had large bruises on his neck but other than that he had minor scratches and bruises on the rest of his body, and of course, his body ached. He saw Lucy watching him in the reflection, that's when he noticed that she had a slightly smaller bandage around her head as well.

"Lucy? What happened after I was knocked out?" He saw Lucy flinch and look away, avoiding his gaze. She reluctantly described what happened to them while he was unconscious. His whole body shook with anger as the temperature of the room escalated. His eyes narrowed dangerously. He wouldn't be made a fool of any more. The next time he meets them, they wouldn't be so lucky.

*Gray's pov*

He wasn't sure how long he could last at this rate; he barely had any strength left from the vigorous torture he went through. He had a deep cut above his left eye that bled down his face, crusting his eye shut. He only had a few minor cuts on his body so far but he knew he would get more before getting out of this place; they only had tortured him twice so far physically, the rest mentally, illusions of some sort. This was also considering that he'd ever get out of here.

"Where are you Natsu? What's taking you and the guild so damn long?" He asked wearily to no one in particular. He was starting to lose hope, if Natsu and the others haven't found him already, who's to say they ever would? He couldn't keep track of days or the time, this dark cell made it nearly impossible. It could have been days already, but it could also have been only a few hours. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. After a while, he heard the footsteps again and flinched. What would they do to him this time?

The hooded man that was in charge of his kidnapping unlocked and entered his cell along with the guy that spit on Natsu and Lucy. Physical torture it is then, whenever that guy came in with the leader, it meant real pain, and whenever the other quieter guy came in, he used his magic to create illusions of his friends dying among other things, like Ur and his parents. The quiet one he learned was Midnight, while the other was Cobra, who didn't seem to have used his magic yet, but Gray could tell that he loved seeing people suffer. Cobra approached him with a wicked smirk.

"Maybe this Natsu just doesn't care about you. I mean look at yourself, you're pathetic, so why would anyone worry about you?" Gray was shocked, how did this guy know about Natsu? He couldn't have heard him, it just wasn't possible!

"I have extremely good hearing; I can even hear your thoughts. I hate people like you. You just sit around waiting for someone to save your ass! It's pathetic; **you're** pathetic, if you can't do anything but sit around, whining and brooding, while waiting for someone to change your life for you." Cobra sneered. The leader, apparently called Brain, walked up and tightened his chains so he couldn't move at all. Cobra strode up then with a kit of knives, choosing one with a straight edge. Gray could see the bloodlust in his eyes and knew he'd savor every moment of this. Gray clenched his fists as Cobra made his way over and put the knife to his arm. Gray gritted his teeth as his skin gave way to the pressure of the blade and split apart. Blood beaded out as Cobra dragged it slowly, scrutinizing Gray's face. He tried to be expressionless, but all he could think was how painful it was. The knife went deeper, cutting through his skin like butter, making Gray bite his tongue. He would not show pain, he would not give this guy what he wanted. By now blood was streaming down his arm. Cobra yanked the knife out, obviously displeased, and Gray struggled not to cry out as the knife sliced more flesh.

"You don't want to give me what I want, huh? Okay, two can play this way. I'll just have to step up my game then. Let's see how you handle this then." Cobra hissed in his face. Gray showed no emotion as Cobra pulled out a knife with a serrated edge. Gray flinched, just thinking about that knife ripping through his flesh.

"Scared now, aren't you?" Cobra mocked with a sadistic grin. He stalked up to Gray and this time stabbed the knife in his lower left abdomen. Cobra smiled as the knife plunged into Gray's side, making him cry out. The knife went deeper, raggedly cutting through his flesh. He screamed out in agony, his plan of not satisfying this disturbed asshole going out the window. Cobra dragged the knife in a diagonal line, his flesh catching and tearing as he went. Gray couldn't help but scream as he felt his skin and muscles tearing. Cobra laughed and reveled in the painful distortions of his face. Gray's wide eyes and vision went blood red, and he suddenly felt excruciating pain ignite in his skull. Cobra continued to rip through Gray's flesh, while Gray's screams reverberated throughout the dungeon.

*Natsu's pov*

"What do you mean Gray was kidnapped?! How could you let this happen?!" Natsu sighed, exasperated. He immediately regretted letting Lyon know about what had happened. His head was throbbing dully just from listening to him.

"God Natsu, why are you still here?! Go find him! **You're** the one with the exceptional senses! He believed in you, and you failed. He's coming back to Lamia Scale with me once we find him; obviously you're not fit to watch over anyone. I was stupid to trust you with his safety. Gray was stupid for even staying here with you, I-"his rant was cut off by Natsu grabbing him by the shirt and slamming his forehead against his.

"I will tolerate you yelling at me because yes, I made a stupid mistake, but I will **not **tolerate you calling Gray stupid, do you understand me?!" Lyon could only nod fearfully as Natsu continued, "I already told you that I couldn't sense him anywhere! Do you honestly think I would be sitting here on my ass if I knew where he was? And let me get this one thing clear. Gray is** not** something you own! He makes his own choices, so you won't be taking him anywhere unless he wants to go there! Did I make myself clear?!" Lyon nodded again as Natsu released his grip. He leaned against the wall and dropped his head into his hands. He could feel the throbbing escalate.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lyon asked quietly. Natsu shook his head and cried out at the pain it took. He barely heard Lyon's footsteps running out of the room. His heart sped up and he started breathing heavily. What the hell was going on with him? The door slammed open again and he barely saw Wendy and the others come in with Lyon.

"What happened?" Wendy questioned. Natsu tried to explain what was happening but found he couldn't even speak. He cried out again and Wendy ran over to him, immediately checking Natsu's head.

"Get Porlyusica now! Something's wrong!" She yelled. Lyon left immediately and went to go get her. Natsu shoved off the wall and lurched forward, trying to get to the bed. All he saw was the hardwood floor rushing up to meet him as he lost consciousness.

*Gray's pov*

He lay panting on the ground, tears still trailing down his cheeks. His side was ripped open grotesquely in the shape of an X, his skin flapped over and you could see the muscle and bone underneath it. Blood was flowing from the wound and pooled underneath him. Natsu needed to hurry; he couldn't last very much longer in here that much was clear. His wide eyes still painted the world red. What was going on? He cradled his head and cried out as his head throbbed painfully. His gripped his hair and gritted his teeth, feeling like his head would explode. His heart sped up as he started hyperventilating. He was scared and knew he probably wouldn't make it out of here, he didn't know where the thing they wanted was! All he wanted to do was see his friends again; Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, and Lyon. He wanted to see Happy and Gramps; he didn't want to die here! He wanted to see Natsu, his best friend again… And with that last thought, he blacked out.

He opened his eyes and instantly noticed that he was standing in a stark white hallway with no doors. He started to walk, having nowhere else to go. How did he even get here? Was this his mind? The hallway seemed to stretch on and on for hours until finally he reached two wooden doors. He pushed through them and immediately noticed that it was the guild's infirmary. He walked towards the pink haired idiot lying in the bed. He was expressionless, almost like he was hollow on the inside. He was hooked up to some machines and tubes that beeped monotonously. He noticed Lucy and the others sitting around and waiting for Natsu to wake up, clearly worried and sad.

"Lucy? What happened to him?" he asked. She didn't even glance up from the unconscious mage. He waved a hand in front of her face and still got no response. That must mean that he wasn't actually here. He took a glance around the room and noticed Natsu sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, his head tilted back and eyes closed. He knew it was Natsu, but wasn't Natsu in the bed? He looked at the hospital bed again and sure enough, it was Natsu too. He walked over to the Natsu against the wall.

"Natsu?" The pinkette cracked an eye open. His eyes widened at the sight of Gray.

"Gray? Is it really you?"

"I think so. I'm not sure how I got here though. How are you here by the way? Isn't that you?" he pointed to the bed and Natsu glanced over and nodded sadly.

"What's happening to me Gray? I can't talk to Lucy or anyone else, and they all look so sad. I hate seeing them like that." Gray didn't know what to tell him but he didn't like seeing his friends sad either, including Natsu.

"What have you heard? Anything?" Natsu looked even sadder and he regretted asking immediately.

"Yeah… I got this really bad headache after I fought with Lyon because I failed to protect you and got hit with that baseball bat. Wendy couldn't help me and I could barely move and I tried to get to the bed and blacked out. When I woke up, I found my way here. Porlyusica was looking me over and frowned. She brought in all these machines and hooked me up to them. She told everyone I was showing no brain activity and that I might not wake up, but knowing me, I wouldn't give up and die so easily. I tried to talk to them but they wouldn't respond to me. So I tried and tried to wake up, but I just couldn't. Do you think I'm going to die Gray?" He looked up and Gray could see the pain in his eyes. He sat down next to him, noticing something missing from the dragon slayer, but not quite able to identify it.

"You won't die. If you were going to die, why are you still here? You're too stubborn to die, so you'll just have to hurry and wake up then." He smiled. "The same probably goes for me then. I was lead straight here though, so I don't know what condition my body is in." Gray winced, hoping they wouldn't do anything to his body while he was in this situation.

"Hey, do you know anything about who took you? Or where your body is? I couldn't sense you anywhere near Magnolia."

"Um, well I think I'm in some guild's dungeon, but I'm not sure which one. As for the people, it was some guys named Brain, Midnight, and Cobra. It's obviously a dark guild, but they're looking for something that I supposedly know where it's located, but I don't. I think they're working for someone; they don't seem to know much about what they're looking for. But I can't be for sure. There's this voice too; I vaguely recognize it, but I don't know where. I know I have to wake up, but is it weird that I don't want to?" He shivered just thinking about going back. Natsu tensed beside him. That's when he noticed it; Natsu was cold, he wasn't emitting any warmth, even when he was angry.

"What's happening to you there? Talk to me, I want to know." Natsu demanded. Gray smiled, warmth or no warmth, he was definitely still Natsu.

"I couldn't tell them where whatever they're looking for is, because I honestly don't know where the stupid thing is. They obviously thought I was hiding it, because they started torturing me. Midnight showed me illusions of people close to me dying, they all seemed so real. Cobra, on the other hand, really liked to see me in pain. To be honest, I don't know if I even have a body to go back to. He cut my side, arm, and forehead pretty badly. I could have bled out by now. I don't want to go back, I don't think I can." He whispered to the pinkette. The pinkette stood up and held out his hand. Gray took it and got to his feet.

"Well, I say we go find your body. I want to see how they've treated you. It's not like anything is going to happen here anyways. We'll come back after we find you." Natsu grabbed his hand and led him out the infirmary doors. They continued to walk down the seemingly endless hallway and finally came upon a metal door. Natsu opened it and they entered, instantly noticing it was a cell. Gray cringed, already knowing they were here. The sun appeared from behind the clouds, making the room become a little more visible. They both tensed at what they saw. His body lay there chained to the wall and floor, just like he was when he blacked out as well. Natsu approached the body with a grim look.

*Natsu's pov*

There was a pool of blood underneath the unconscious Gray. He inspected the body and felt himself getting angrier the more he looked. Gray was right; his side was cut open in an x shape on his side. His arm and face were pretty bad, but not compared to this. It still was dripping blood although the wound looked like a few days old. That must mean it had been three days since they had exited their bodies.

"Gray. I'm so sorry that this happened. I failed to protect you and Lucy, and now I can't even do anything to help. Not that I was useful before I came to this place." He muttered darkly, his bangs shadowing his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. Plus, when you wake up, I know you'll find me." Gray smiled reassuringly at him. The door opened then and the three men from the kidnapping walked in. Gray immediately yanked him up and moved into the shadows.

"They can't hear us Gray. We aren't really here remember?" he tried to reassure the other but it didn't work.

"I know but I can see them, and Cobra has extremely good hearing. It still feels like they can." Gray whispered, shaking slightly. Natsu nodded.

"Okay we'll stay quiet and just listen. They might say something important. You don't have to though Gray, you can go back to the infirmary and I will be back as soon as they leave." He smiled at Gray.

"No! No, I will stay too, I don't want to be separated from you and risk us getting lost or something." He nodded again, and they sat and listened.

"So he's still unconscious huh? I don't see why he won't just tell us where it is." A white haired man stated. Gray had filled him in on the way here, so this must be Brain.

"I don't mind. I like messing with pretty boy here. It's fun to see him struggle. So for all I care, he can keep the damn thing to himself as long as he wants to." This must have been Cobra. So the other guy who wasn't speaking was Midnight.

"He needs to tell us as soon as possible or you know who won't be happy with us, Cobra. Stop messing around. As soon as we know the Arcanum's? location, we need to report back to him." Natsu raised his eyebrows. The Arcanum? What the hell was that? The three people left, planning to come back when Gray woke up. He stood and helped Gray stand again.

"Okay, let's head back to where our friends are. Maybe Levy found out about your prediction thing." He headed for the door, Gray not far behind. They made it back to the infirmary to find everything the way it was. Porlyusica came in and checked him over, looking even grimmer than she had before. Lucy must have noticed too, because she instantly grabbed his hand, feeling his pulse.

"I-it's getting weaker!" she cried and everyone instantly tensed, even Gray. Natsu squeezed his hand and smiled weakly.

"Don't worry, Gray. Everything will work out." He said reassuringly. He wasn't sure if he said that to reassure Gray, or if he was really trying to reassure himself. Erza walked over and grabbed the sleeping version of him. She had tears in her eyes as she shook him roughly.

"Wake up! You don't get to die! Wake up and help us find Gray! You have a responsibility to him and to us to live! You taught me that you live for your friends, not die for them! So wake up!" She screamed. Gajeel grabbed her and pulled her away, trying to console and calm her down. He could feel Gray watching him as he walked up to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she instantly relaxed. He turned to look at Gray.

"I don't know how much longer I can last here. I have to return to my body soon or I'm not going to make it. I'm starting to feel like I'm fading. I guess people don't last here after all…" Levy burst in through the door with a triumphant grin.

"I found out more about Gray's power!" Levy looked around obliviously. "What? Did I miss something?" Her smile faltered when she saw everyone crying. He noticed her instantly look horrified as she realized what that meant.

"He doesn't have much time left then. We need to hurry! Okay, so I looked into Gray's power and finally found what it was. It's some ancient magic called the Arcanum. There wasn't too much on it, but I read that it can see the future as well as remove souls from a body. Gray must have done this to Natsu by accident. It said if the Arcanum is put under extreme duress it acts on its own, instead of the mage activating it, to try and stay alive. I wouldn't doubt it if that's what happened. He's probably seriously hurt…" She trailed off. He looked at Gray incredulously and noticed he was just as shocked.

"Gray that's what they were looking for. It's worse than we thought. The Arcanum is actually you, not an object. You're in even more danger now!" Natsu noticed Gray look away.

"I can't believe I'm the one killing you…" He whispered. Natsu immediately hugged Gray.

"Gray, you aren't going to kill me, in fact, you just gave us everything we need to know."

"Yeah, but I don't know how to bring you back!" Levy swiftly continued on, instantly regaining their attention.

"I actually wouldn't be surprised if Natsu was here right now. It becomes sort of like an out of body experience. Gray is probably here too. So here's what you two need to do. Natsu, go stand next to your body." She paused, probably to let them get into position.

"Gray, I have to go now. I'm going to find you I promise. As soon as I'm back in my body, promise me you'll return yourself to yours." Gray nodded and Natsu smiled, hugging him. "Just hold on, okay Gray? Don't die. Be strong. We will find you." He walked over to his limp body and turned to look at Gray. When their eyes met, he couldn't believe what he saw.

TBC

Author's Note: Thank you to all the people who followed and/or reviewed my story. I also have had a lot of time to work on this so I can update it faster, but it might not be updated as quickly later on when I catch up to what I've already written so far. I will definitely try to keep up with it though! Well, onto the reviews!

Uzukun89: "Interesting starting point. So, in this story, Natsu is Gray's mental pillar, right? No matter how unfriendly he is, Natsu will be always on the side of the raven.  
Gray is captured, Lucy is injured, and Natsu is badly beaten?  
I can smell something serious in the next chapter about the one who has captured ice mage."

Thank you! And I would say that yes, Natsu is Gray's mental pillar, he always tends to make Gray happy without even trying, and when things get tough, he's going to be a constant thought of Gray's, I think it will become a little more clear later on, or at least I hope it will if it isn't already. So yep, Natsu will always be there for Gray. This chapter was a little dark and serious, but I wanted to make the readers actually feel for Gray, so I hope you liked it. I actually had to do some research for this chapter but I really hope you liked it and that you don't hate me forever! Thanks for reviewing!

.oO: "Great start!"

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Thanks for reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

Chapter 3

*Gray's pov*

"Gray, now you need to concentrate. When you feel your eyes go red, the power has activated. Focus on getting Natsu back in his body. Only think about Natsu." Gray closed his eyes, focusing solely on his best friend. He felt a jolt go through his body and his eyes shot open. Everything was scarlet. He started focusing on Natsu returning to his body, when he heard a pained cry. He looked over at Natsu and saw him clutching his head. Gray panicked.

"Listen Gray, Natsu is probably going to be in pain, much like he was when his soul was removed, but that's supposed to happen. Natsu can endure it, so don't worry. Just keep focusing." Gray nodded as Natsu lurched forward, grabbing the bed his body rested on. It was hard to focus when seeing Natsu in so much pain, but he tried to block it out and concentrate. Soon, he saw Natsu collapse on his knees, and then he slowly disappeared. Gray's eyes widened, worried that he failed.

"I can feel his pulse quickening! Everyone move!" Lucy yelled. Gajeel quickly removed all the tubes and wires attached to him. Natsu's eyes opened and he jumped out of bed. Gray saw his knees wobble as he headed for the floor, but Erza grabbed onto Natsu, immediately steadying him. He walked over to Levy and she smiled as Natsu hugged her tightly.

"Thanks Levy! You just saved our lives." Natsu grinned and looked right at him, stopping his heart. Could he still see him? No, Natsu was looking straight **through **him.

"Gray, I know you're still in here and now you have to go back. Just do what you did before; only think about yourself, right Levy?" Levy nodded. "I'm going to find you as soon as we locate that guild, so don't worry." Gray smiled and hugged him. Natsu tensed and then relaxed.

"You're hugging me, aren't you?" He whispered. Gray nodded. He let go and hugged Levy. She smiled at nothing in particular as he headed back to his own body. He knew Natsu would find him.

*Natsu's pov*

He felt Gray's presence leave and he instantly sat down, needing to rest. He was exhausted. Erza walked up to him.

"You heard everything, didn't you? You touched my shoulder, I felt it." She whispered. He nodded and she crushed him in a hug, his head slamming into her armor. He couldn't help but smile.

"I tried to communicate with everyone but no one responded, and you all looked so sad. I couldn't bear to see you all like that, but then Gray showed up. I really thought I was going to die, I just couldn't get back in my body."

"I could feel his energy when he put your soul back. I'm glad he's okay." It was more of a statement than a question, but he nodded anyway, his mood instantly growing serious.

"We have to find him. We need to locate wherever Brain, Cobra, and Midnight are, it's some dark guild. That's where Gray is. He's hurt really bad, if we don't find him soon…" He trailed off. Erza's face grew serious as well.

"I know exactly where those bastards are. They belong to the dark guild known as Oración Seis." She left to go inform Gramps and he slumped even more. Lucy helped him lay down.

"You should rest; I'll wake you up when we make a game plan." He nodded.

"Levy seriously, thank you. I really appreciate you doing all of this." She smiled.

"It was no problem. I'll see you when you wake up." She walked out with Gajeel. He fell fast asleep almost immediately; having your soul removed and then replaced really took a lot out of person.

*Gray's pov*

Gray woke up back in his cell. He grimaced as his side instantly started burning. He knew he had to stop the bleeding so he lifted his shaky hands and ripped a part of his pants off. It was grimy but it'd have to do for now; he hesitantly pressed the cloth against his side. He held back a cry at the pain it took to touch the wound. He could feel that the wound was going to get infected soon. Gray heard the footsteps again much later; Brain walked in with Cobra again.

"Well, well. Look who's awake." Cobra mocked threateningly. "Tell us where it is, or you'll have to have another session with the knives. Is that what you want?" Gray flinched internally.

"I still have no idea what you're even talking about!" Cobra grinned at him.

"Well, we will just have to see about that, now won't we?" Cobra took out his knives again and picked a narrow boning knife. He recognized it because Erza used it to cut the meat, among other food, that she lugs around in her enormous luggage cart.

"Gray, right? How much do you love your fingers? You're an ice make mage right?" He grinned sadistically. Gray was horrified, he knew Cobra wasn't bluffing; this knife was made to cut through bone and cartilage easily. Natsu needed to hurry. Cobra sauntered up to him and grabbed his right hand.

"Which finger should I lop off first, huh Gray?" He cackled then and chose Gray's index finger. "Oh well, I'm going to remove them all anyways, so there's no point in being picky." Gray braced himself to feel the knife any moment. Cobra pressed the knife on the inside of his finger and applied pressure.

"BREACH. I REPEAT THERE HAS BEEN A BREACH." The report came over the loud speaker. Cobra and Brain exchanged a look as Gray just chuckled.

"It's about damn time, guys." He whispered. Midnight ran into the room a few seconds later.

"It's those Fairy Tail freaks. They found us earlier than we expected. We have to go get rid of them." Cobra turned and glared at Gray. He stabbed the knife into Gray's leg. Gray screamed.

"I'll be back, so just hold onto that for me." He turned and they all left the room. Gray slumped down and yanked on the chains, reaching for the knife. They gave way a little and he gripped the handle, mentally preparing himself. In one swift move, he yanked the blade free, biting his lip as he felt the knife tear some more flesh. He leaned against the wall, completely spent. He gripped the knife tight and tried to pick the locks on his cuffs.

He picked the last one and ripped the cuff off. He rested for a few seconds before getting to his feet. He wobbled a little but held onto the wall for support. He was surprised Natsu could jump up after his soul was returned, and that's when he realized Natsu must have been faking it to make him feel better. He limped towards the door and opened it, slowly peeking out and checking if anyone was coming. Seeing no one, he went as fast as he could down the hallway. He went up the stairs, wincing as he went and found himself at another hallway. What was this place? A freaking castle? He went down that hallway, having no other choice. He heard footsteps and stepped into a shadowy alcove. As the footsteps drew closer he got into his familiar ice make stance, going through the regular hand motions. It was comforting to be able to feel his ice for the first time in who knows how long. He finished the last hand motion and created an ice floor, preparing to take out the approaching person while he was sliding, completely taken by surprise. He stepped out of the alcove and was surprised when a head of pink slid by him.

"Jesus Gray-y-y-y!" Natsu shouted at him as he fumbled and fell on his ass, still sliding. Gray sighed and slid down to Natsu. He stood over the pinkette, who was still lying on the ground, and smirked.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me." Gray helped him up and Natsu grinned.

"Guess so. Ready to go home, Gray?" He nodded and smiled, while Natsu just chuckled. Natsu grabbed Gray's arm and slung it over his shoulder. He helped him all the way up to the main floor and to a window.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted into the open air. Happy flew down and smiled at Gray.

"Aye, sir!" He replied to Natsu. Natsu smiled and pushed Gray up into the window sill.

"Take Gray to safety, he's too injured to fight. Lisanna and Wendy should be able to take care of him." Happy nodded and grabbed onto Gray.

"Wait, Natsu! What are you going to do? Aren't you coming?" Natsu shook his head.

"Happy can only carry one person. Plus, everyone is still fighting, so I should help. You'll be fine though. We will all meet up with you guys later. You aren't going to the guild, but to where Lisanna is, which is in a local inn nearby." Gray nodded reluctantly and Happy flew off.

*Natsu's pov*

He watched Gray and Happy shrink to specks as they flew away. He turned around with a determined face. He ran down the winding hallways and came across Erza fighting Midnight, her obviously winning. He ran past her and nodded in recognition. She nodded back and he ran even faster, hunting down one person. Cobra.

"Anyone who hurts my friends will pay, so you better watch out, Cobra!" He knew that Cobra could hear him, Gray told him about his hearing being extremely excellent. Natsu ran to the roof and Cobra stepped out of the shadows.

"Well, well. I'm assuming you're Natsu." It wasn't a question but he nodded his head anyway.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Natsu's fists burst into flames as their battle began.

*Gray's pov*

They landed in front of the inn just as Happy's Aera magic ran out. He limped inside with Happy just as Lisanna was walking out. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Gray? Natsu said you'd be coming, but I didn't expect you so soon. You're seriously injured, quickly come inside." She helped him to the bathroom and got out the first aid kit. She informed Wendy that he'd need to be healed when she was done fixing him up.

"This is probably going to hurt." She rinsed the wounds with running water. She grabbed a washcloth from the towel rack. She wet it and then rubbed soap on it. She used it to wipe the cut above his left eye first, being careful not to tear any skin. He gritted in pain as she moved to his arm, making sure to clean it properly. The worst was his side. She gently cleaned it but it felt like it was on fire. He gripped his pants, trying not to cry out. When she was finished cleaning it out, she grabbed a dry washcloth and dried around his injuries. She grabbed a needle and stitched his side and leg with sutures that would dissolve after at least one week. For his arm, which wasn't too deep, she used butterfly stitches and his eye she left alone. He knew it was already starting to heal. Lisanna washed out the bloody wash cloth and wiped the rest of the blood of his face and he could finally open his other eye. Wendy came in and healed his wounds so that they weren't as bad, but she couldn't heal them completely in case people came back needing to be healed as well.

"Okay Gray. We're done now, so why don't you take a quick shower? I'll get you a change of clothes. Natsu brought some for you. Just be careful not to tear anything. The butterfly stitches will probably dissolve but I'll change them once you're out, as well as wrap your wounds with some gauze." She grabbed a towel and left it on the counter. She turned on the shower and left, closing the door. He undressed and stepped into the steamy shower. The water rinsed all the dirt and grime down the drain as he washed his hair and body, feeling better already. He stood there for awhile just feeling the water flow down his body, realizing just how much he missed showers. He heard a knock as he turned the shower off. He dried off and wrapped the towel around his body. He opened the door and found a pile of clothes, which consisted of a white baseball tee shirt with dark blue sleeves and black pants. He put on boxers and Lisanna came in, wrapping all of his wounds, except his forehead, with some gauze. He got dressed all the way once she was finished and stepped out and into the room, sitting on the bed. Lisanna threw his ruined cargo pants in the trash.

"You can sleep if you'd like Gray. You look exhausted. I'll wake you up when everyone gets here." She smiled at him and he lay down, eyes instantly closing from exhaustion.

*Natsu's pov*

"Fire dragon's roar!" Cobra easily dodged it.

"You can't beat me; I can hear everything you're thinking! Just give up already!" Cobra, apparently a poison dragon slayer, yelled at him. Natsu knew as long as he was thinking about his attacks, Cobra would just block them. So he shut down is brain, just attacking without even thinking.

"What? He's not thinking at all! How is that possible?" Cobra muttered to himself. It didn't take him long after that to beat him. Cobra lay on the ground, exhausted as Natsu towered over him.

"Don't underestimate Fairy Tail. I wouldn't mess with us again if I were you." With that he walked off. He could feel the poison spreading through his body but he ignored it, heading to find Erza, Lucy, Gajeel and the others. He came across Erza first, with Midnight lying on the ground, beaten as well. He walked up to her.

"Natsu, Oración Seis has fallen; the magic council is coming to take them into custody." Natsu nodded and stumbled, not able to walk properly. He grabbed the wall and steadied himself.

"Natsu? Are you okay?"

"I was fighting Cobra, a poison dragon slayer, and I got poisoned. I need to get to Wendy, so let's get everybody together." Erza nodded and started to help him walk, dragging him when he lost all ability to move. They found the others and headed for the inn.

*Gray's pov*

He woke to a knock on the door. Lisanna walked over and opened it, letting the people in immediately.

"Erza, what happened to him?" Lisanna questioned, clearly worried. He sat up, was someone hurt?

"He was fighting Cobra, but got poisoned. He thinks Wendy can heal him."

"Set him on the bed, I'll go get her." She left and Erza dragged an immobile Natsu to the bed next to Gray. Natsu grunted in pain as she tossed him on the bed. She looked over at Gray.

"Gray! You're okay. That's good to hear." Wendy came running in, instantly going to Natsu. Gray could see the pain clear on Natsu's face. Wendy immediately began healing him, getting rid of the poison within a few minutes, although it took almost all of her energy. Both dragon slayers looked completely exhausted.

"Are you two alright? Where is everyone else?" Natsu and Erza looked at him when he asked.

"Some of them are waiting for the magic council to retrieve Oración Seis and the others returned to the guild." They exchanged glances before Erza continued. "Gray, we didn't find the person who Oración Seis was working for. He must have been in a completely different place." Gray was shocked. He knew they were staring at him with concern but his mind was in another place.

"So, what you're saying is that this guy is going to come after me again." His voice was completely devoid of emotion. He could see their pity and he hated it; he hated feeling so weak and helpless. He just wanted to go home. Maybe things would be better.

"Can we just go home?" They all nodded at his question and packed everything up. They left the hotel and went to the train, Natsu getting sick just thinking about being on the train again. They boarded and fell into the familiar routine, except Lucy wasn't with them. Wendy cast Troia on Natsu, but it eventually wore off, resulting in Erza knocking him out. Lisanna and Wendy talked about healing and Wendy's sky magic while Erza watched him as he looked out the window, watching everything fly by. They arrived at Magnolia soon after and made their way to the guild. Minutes later, they arrived at the wooden doors of Fairy Tail. He started to get nervous, debating whether he should just head home or not, when Natsu walked up and kicked the doors wide open.

"We're back!" He yelled as he walked into the guild. The raven just shook his head with a small smile. Everyone in the guild looked up at them. As soon as they saw Gray, they immediately got excited and were relieved he was safe. They all crowded around him to make sure he was okay, but his mind was elsewhere. His side was starting to burn from everyone crowding around and he instantly felt like he was back in that horrible place. He shuddered and his eyes grew distant, his mind sinking further into the dark memories. Suddenly, an arm slung across his shoulders, making him jump. He looked over to see who the owner of the arm was and looked into onyx eyes. He pleaded with his eyes to get out of there, hoping Natsu would catch on. Natsu nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna head back to my place, and since Gray's apartment is on the way, I'll just make sure he gets there without any trouble." Everyone nodded and backed up, giving Gray his space. That's when he saw a familiar head of spiky, white hair making its way through the crowd. Lyon walked up to Gray and hugged him extremely tight, which really hurt his injuries. He hissed in pain and Lyon immediately stopped hugging him and began checking him over.

"What did they do to you?!" Lyon was seething when he saw all the bandages on Gray's body. Gray knew that when Lyon got this way, he blamed the first person he could think of. Having both been Ur's apprentices, they grew up like brothers. Like Gray predicted, Lyon immediately turned on Natsu and got in his face.

"This is your fault! I've been saying that all along! The fact that he was kidnapped was enough, but now he's hurt. This is even worse than I thought. He's going to have scars, no thanks to you!" For a second no one moved, everyone looking at Lyon and Natsu. Natsu became deadly serious and looked down on Lyon, clearly irritated.

"Do you ever shut up?! How many times are you going to yell at me? We got Gray back as fast as we could! Last time I checked, you didn't do such a great time protecting him either. And personally, I think that scars show how strong someone is. I'm sorry that he got hurt, no one wanted that to happen." Lyon tensed up, then relaxed, stepping back to give Natsu his space. Gray put a hand on his shoulder and started to speak.

"Lyon, I'm okay now. You don't have to worry anymore. I'm tired so I'm going home, but I'll see you later and then we can talk." Lyon nodded and Natsu headed for the doors, Gray following behind saying goodbye to people. Natsu waved to everyone and opened the doors, walking out with him. They walked in silence at first; Gray was looking at Natsu who was a few steps ahead of him. Sometimes he wondered what Natsu thought about, **who** Natsu thought about. It wasn't any of his business, but Natsu never really talked about things like that, so naturally people were curious. Did he like Lucy? Or Erza? Or…? He mentally chastised himself for even going there. Natsu's private life was none of his business. He tried to think of something else, he really tried, but he just couldn't figure Natsu out and they've been friends for 10 years already. He looked, **really** looked at Natsu. He still had his pink, spiky hair and deep onyx eyes, but he had definitely matured. He had a lean, muscular tanned body now instead of the lanky limbs he had years ago. It was strange to see how much Natsu had changed. Had he changed as well? Natsu's personality was still determined and caring; he also had an impulsive fiery side to him which kind of worked for him, so of course Gray wondered why no one was interested in the pinkette. What was there not to like? He suddenly ran into Natsu's chest.

"Gray? Are you okay? You weren't answering me." Natsu questioned, clearly concerned again.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking." Natsu raised an eyebrow as they started to walk side by side.

"About what?" They were almost to Gray's apartment by then.

"Just about how much you've changed since we were kids."

"Really? I think you've changed the most though." Natsu laughed. "You should look at yourself more often." Natsu grinned at Gray's surprised expression as they arrived at Gray's apartment. Gray unlocked the door and walked in. Natsu hovered at the entrance and Gray rolled his eyes.

"You coming in or what?" Natsu hesitated for a moment, but then a smile began to appear on his face as he nodded and closed the door behind him.

*Unknown pov*

A figure loomed over a lacrima projecting a video of Gray and Natsu walking together.

"Oh Gray, did you really think I'd let you get away that easily? You're too naïve. The next time I get a hold of you, I'll make sure you know that I **always** get what I want. Just you wait and see."

TBC

Author's note: I can't wait for Fairy Tail to re-launch! I want to see how all the new character's will be and sound. I also can't wait to find out who Silver is to Gray, which will hopefully be revealed in the next chapter of Fairy Tail! Also, my older sister as been reading my chapters so I can get her opinion to make this story the best it can be so I thought I would thank her on here! So thank you! Onto the reviews!

6purplecats: "Very interesting... I really like Gray's power! I'm very curious about what will happen next"

Thank you! And I'm glad you're interested, so I hope you liked this chapter!

uzukun89: "So, apparently, Gray is in the hands of Oracion Seis or a certain famous dark guild (hence at the names like Cobra, Brain, and Midnight who are from Oracion Seis in canon material). Are Natsu and Gray really dying? Since it seems that their spirits wander around the infirmary and the dungeon where Gray is captured. PS: I think you should change the rating of this story to M since the nuance of this story will be darker and edgier, along with much gruesome violence anywhere (even this chapter has already showed the gruesome violence of Gray's torture)."

Yep, Gray was captured by Oración Seis; I try to incorporate things from the real manga in here because I like to keep it similar. I took Gray's language as a kid from the manga and shows to try and make it more realistic because I think it's cool if people pick up on it. And about Natsu and Gray dying, part of Gray's power is removing souls so technically, both of their bodies are soulless, basically dead, but their souls/spirits are not, they are kinda in a limbo between life and death. But in the last chapter Natsu started to run out of time, so there is a time limit for a soul to be in limbo, and whether that soul is put back or not is entirely up to the user, which would be Gray. I don't want to give too much away about it, because I will definitely go into more detail about it later, because I'm thinking of adding more to his power anyways. And thank you for telling me about the rating thing, I took you're advice and changed it.

.oO: "Great chapter. I hope they will find Gray soon...  
I love protective Natsu :D"

Thanks! And Gray is safe and sound for a little while at least. Thank you, personally that's one of my favorite parts about his character in the manga. XD

Guest: "I love your story!  
Just a question : it will be a yaoi?"

Thank you so much! And yep! I just think they're adorable. I started to build that up a little more in this chapter so I hope you like it! I don't want to rush their relationship too much but I did insinuate Gray liking Natsu in this chapter, even though he doesn't fully admit it. ^^ Chapter 4 will focus on their growing relationship more as well.

Casseg: "Definitely like your writing style, and I definitely want to see where you plan to go with this fic :3"

I'm so sorry about not getting this one in the second chapter with the rest of the first few reviews. Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it! And I'm looking forward to you reading it! ^^


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

Chapter 4

*Natsu's pov*

The first thing he noticed about Gray's apartment was that it was extremely cold. The second thing was how clean it was. Gray had done well when he moved out of the dormitory. To be honest, he was a little worried about Gray at first and how he would make it on his own, at least Natsu had Happy.

"You can sit down. I'm getting water, want some?" Natsu nodded as he sat on the couch. He couldn't stop thinking about how Gray thought he had changed since they were younger. He didn't feel different at all. Gray walked in and sat across from him, handing him a glass of water. He looked Gray over and confirmed to himself Gray had changed the most. Instead of the skinny, short boy, he had become a toned, muscular teen with his usual spiky black hair. Gray's cerulean blue eyes hadn't changed either. Overall, Gray was pretty attractive now. It's seriously no wonder Juvia's in love with him.

"So you live here now? It's pretty nice, definitely an upgrade from the dorms." Gray nodded and looked away, fidgeting in his seat.

"How are you, really?" Natsu got straight to the point. He had never stepped foot in Gray's apartment before today, so he knew Gray wanted or needed to talk to him.

*Gray's pov*

He wanted to talk to Natsu about everything, but he wasn't sure he should. That guy is still out there somewhere and he would put Natsu in danger if he decided to talk. Plus, Natsu made him nervous.

"Gray? What's on your mind? You've never once invited me into your apartment, so I know you want to say something. So just tell me, nothing bad will happen." He nodded, making his decision.

"Thank you. For saving me. I don't blame you for my kidnapping. I honestly didn't know if I'd get out of there alive. For awhile when our souls were removed, I didn't want to go back to my body at all. So thank you for being there and coming for me. That other guy is still out there, and honestly, I'm kinda scared. If what I went through is just his underlings, I don't want to find out what he's capable of. Don't tell anyone any of this, by the way. I don't want anyone's pity, including yours." He warned. Natsu laughed, it was a really nostalgic sound, and he couldn't help but relax when he heard it.

"Alright, Gray. I won't say anything. So do you want me to stay here until you feel okay again? Like when we were kids?" Natsu gave him a knowing look, asking the question for him. He nodded slightly and Natsu grinned.

"Hey, is it okay if I take a shower? I feel gross from all the fighting. I'll also have Happy and Lucy bring me some clothes to wear until you feel better." He nodded and Natsu went into the bathroom. He heard the shower turn on but all he could think about was why Lucy had to come with Happy. Couldn't Happy come by himself? So Natsu liked Lucy after all? Did Lucy like Natsu? Soon the shower turned off and Natsu walked out of the bathroom. He was only wearing pants that were low on his hips and water still dripped from his hair and down his fit body. Gray gasped and looked away. He glanced sideways at Natsu.

"Natsu! Put some clothes on!" Gray burst out, he didn't even notice that he was being hypocritical until Natsu gave him a skeptical look.

"Seriously? You strip all the time! Down to your boxers even, I'm at least in pants." He knew Natsu had a point. He was beginning to rethink this whole thing. Maybe Natsu should go home; he would probably be fine on his own.

"Gray?" Natsu walked up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning down. This was definitely a bad idea, a horrible idea really. His heart skipped a beat as Natsu's face became eye level a few inches away from his own.

"Are you okay?" He nodded, feeling extremely nervous. Natsu didn't move away but instead just looked into his eyes, searching for something. Gray blushed and looked away, by the time he looked back, Natsu had moved and sat across from him again. He couldn't live like this. It was getting harder just being around Natsu and it had only been an hour or so and he didn't know why. This had to end.

"Look Natsu, I think I'll be fine to stay here on my own. We can meet up and walk to the guild together until I feel safe again. So you should go home." Natsu looked shocked but before he could act, Gray was shoving him towards the door.

"Whoa, Gray. Hold on. Are you sure you're okay?" He opened the door and pushed Natsu out, then closed the door swiftly.

"Yes, I'm fine. See you tomorrow?" He looked through the peephole and saw Natsu standing there.

"Well if you're sure… Yeah, see ya tomorrow." Natsu hesitated like he wanted to add something but then he noticed Lucy walk up.

"Natsu? Why are you outside?" Natsu turned and grinned at her.

"Oh! Hey Lucy! Well Gray kinda kicked me out…" He scratched the back of his head nervously. Gray noticed he never had put a shirt on. It seemed Lucy noticed as well because she blushed and smiled at Natsu bashfully. He instantly had a sour taste in his mouth.

"Well I'm guessing you don't need your clothes anymore?" Natsu laughed again and shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess not. Let's walk back to my house and then go somewhere. It's a great day, so why waste it inside?" Lucy nodded and they started walking. He took notice with narrowed eyes that she gradually got closer and closer to Natsu as they disappeared from the visibility of the peephole. Maybe he shouldn't have kicked Natsu out, now he was hanging out with Lucy. Natsu better put on a freaking shirt when he went out again. He banged his head on the door, wincing when he hit his forgotten gash. He hated this, or more specifically, he hated **feeling** like this. He was really regretting pushing Natsu out, the apartment seemed so much bigger without him. He slid down the door and sat there. How long had he been feeling like this? Was it ever since Lucy came here? Or before that? He never noticed how lonely his life really was. Sure, he interacted with people from the guild and his friends, but not all that much and he always came home to this. Lucy was extremely pretty, he knew this and so did she. She also never hesitated to show it off, which irked him a little.

"Why am I feeling like this?" He muttered to the empty apartment. He closed his eyes, trying to get away from his thoughts, but Natsu kept appearing with his stupid grin. He thought back to when Natsu got really close to his face and how his heart had beat really fast. It wasn't normal, it felt off. He didn't feel like that around anyone. Maybe he had to talk to someone. There was one person that came to mind and it was none other than Mira. He got up and went back to the guild, hoping to find her there.

*Natsu's pov*

"I hope Gray's okay." Lucy seemed worried, but all Natsu could think about was leaving Gray all alone. It just didn't seem right. He distanced himself from Lucy, realizing she was walking a little close.

"Lucy, where's Loke?" He knew Loke was usually always around somewhere but the celestial spirit was nowhere to be seen. Lucy pouted and looked away.

"We got in a fight. But I don't really care…" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Sure you don't. It's obvious he likes you. You like him too, right?" She looked away, blushing slightly.

"No way! He's so annoying! Why does he always call me princess? And he always appears out of nowhere! There's no way I'd ever like him!" Lucy's cheeks were still tinted pink. He chuckled lightly. If Natsu knew one thing about Lucy, it was that she was incredibly stubborn.

"Just admit it, Luce. You totally like him. Honestly, he treats you really well; I actually think he'd be perfect for you. Why don't you guys just make up?"

"Natsu, it's just not worth it. Even if I did like him, not saying I do, it'd be weird because we have a contract, he **works** for me, and he lives in a whole other dimension. It wouldn't work out." He rolled his eyes and looked seriously at the blonde.

"Why do you even care about all that, Lucy? He's your friend. Don't over think things, make up and see where things go, you might or might not like him, but if you do, all those problems won't matter, right?" Lucy stared at him and then suddenly hugged him.

"That's really good advice. I'm impressed. Thanks!" He smiled as he watched her run off in the direction of the guild. He decided to do the same. Wait, she was impressed he gave good advice? Did she think he gave bad advice or something? He shrugged his shoulders, not dwelling on it too much.

*Gray's pov*

"Hey Mira, I need advice." He sat at the vacant end of the bar and she walked over.

"Advice? About what?"

"So I have a friend. They make me feel nervous and they also make my heart speed up. Why is this happening to me? I don't get it…" Mira had a mischievous look in her eye when she spoke.

"Ah. Well I would say that you might have a little crush on them. It actually seems like you've got it really bad for this person. How long have you been feeling like this?" He contemplated that for a minute or two.

"I don't know. I never really noticed before… I can't believe this…" He replied with wide eyes. Mira snickered and leaned in.

"It's Natsu, isn't it?" she whispered in his ear. He looked at her and noticed she was smirking. Oh god, they couldn't know that he liked Natsu yet, he wasn't sure even **he** liked Natsu yet himself. He needed to cover this up and quick.

"No way! Why would you think that? I've never liked Natsu! Ever!" he panicked. Smooth, Gray. Real smooth. He saw Mira's wide eyes focus on something behind him. He was about to ask what she was looking at, when he heard a voice he knew all too well.

"You've never liked me at all ever, huh? So does that mean we were never friends to begin with?" He was filled with dread as he stood and turned to look into the hurt onyx eyes, which quickly switched to seriously angry.

"Natsu, listen I-"

"If you never liked me, what were we, Gray? Just rivals? Because I swore we were at least good friends. I never, **ever** hated you. Actually, don't answer. I don't want to know. I'm done with whatever **this** is. Gray, I'm sorry, but I just can't." he heard Natsu mumble something under his breath. Natsu was so close that when he looked up, Gray could see the dark forest green in his eyes instead of the onyx that people usually see from afar. He could see the pain, anger, and betrayal in those eyes so clearly that he flinched. Natsu backed away slowly and walked out of the guild, never turning back. Everyone watched him go and turned to look at Gray. He just stood there, frozen, his body felt heavy like lead.

"Gray. I'm so sorry! I was just teasing you. He wasn't supposed to hear." Mira looked at him with regret. "What have I done? Gray, you need to go after him." He looked at her with empty eyes.

"He hates me, doesn't he?" He felt an armored hand on his shoulder and he froze.

"Gray. Wake up. Can't you tell? He obviously misunderstood. Go clear it up." Erza commanded him. He nodded, fearing for his life. He trudged out of the guild, heading for the outskirts of Magnolia where Natsu resided. Don't get him wrong, he wanted to make up with the dragon slayer, he just wasn't convinced the dragon slayer wanted to make up with **him**. Natsu had made it clear he was pissed, usually that was a sign to leave him alone. He thought about Natsu's eyes, how close they were that he could see their real color. He couldn't even function with Natsu that close. What was he supposed to do about going to the pinkette's house if he couldn't even handle that? Thinking about Natsu, it wasn't all that unbelievable that he had a crush on the dragon slayer. He realized that maybe deep down it had always been that way, he just chose not to recognize it and played it off as thinking of Natsu as a friend. He walked up to the little cottage and hesitated at the door.

"I know you're there. Exceptional senses, remember?" The voice came from the other side of the door, making him jump.

"Look, I think you misunderstood what I meant. Can we talk about it?"

"Gray, I think I understood you perfectly. You don't like me. You said those exact words. So there's really nothing to talk about. Please go away." Gray's eye twitched, obviously getting annoyed. Why wouldn't Natsu just listen to his explanation? He was so hard headed.

"Natsu! Open the door, dammit! At least listen to what I have to say. I **do** like you, trust me." Natsu didn't reply at first and he started to think the pinkette had walked away, but then he heard the low voice through the door.

"I don't believe you. Erza put you up to this, didn't she?" Gray didn't reply. "I told you I was done with whatever this is, because honestly, I don't even **know** what to call it anymore. When I said that, I meant it. I can't deal with it anymore. First we're friends, then rivals, then we hate each other, then we like each other. It's too confusing, Gray. It can't be healthy. Let's just be guild mates, okay? We will work together with our friends, but that's it. I'm sorry, I just can't." Gray was shocked at first, but then he got angry. If they just talked, all of this wouldn't be a problem.

"Natsu! Stop running from your problems! This isn't like you! You can't just decide that we aren't friends anymore. We should talk about it and go from there! I said I was sorry! Be angry, or feel whatever the hell you're feeling right now, but do **not** just run from me! We both know this is about something bigger than what happened at the guild. We could fix it if we just tried to communicate. Do you hear me, Natsu?!" Gray yelled while pounding on the door. He was positive Natsu was pulling away because of something else, he just didn't know what.

"That's just it, Gray. I'm not feeling anything right now; I don't really even understand it myself. I don't want to try to talk it out anymore. Just leave."

"Natsu! Open the door; I'm not done talking to you!" He couldn't stand hearing Natsu talk like that. Natsu didn't reply, and eventually he grew tired, sliding down the door. The sky gradually darkened and he headed back to his apartment, feeling completely helpless and hopeless.

*Natsu's pov*

Gray wouldn't stop slamming on the door. He sunk to the ground and pulled his legs up so he was curled up in the fetal position. He couldn't handle this anymore. He had tried for 10 years to get the ice mage to open up, to let him in, and he thought he had accomplished that. But Gray hated him all along. There was a voice in his head that told him he was being ridiculous, that it wasn't true. And he knew that, even if he didn't want to admit to it. Deep down he knew the problem wasn't Gray.

"I'm the problem, I know that…" he whispered to no one in particular. Gray was right, he was running. But Gray was wrong about one thing, this **was** like him, he had been running for as long as he could remember. Lyon was right; he had failed Gray when the ice mage needed him most. He wasn't what Gray needed him to be, he needed someone stronger. If he couldn't overcome his own personal demons, how could he even begin to help Gray defeat his? Everyone in the guild was strong in their own way, what if they realized he wasn't and that he didn't belong? He didn't want to know, so he hid it all away and pretended that he was okay. Maybe if they believed it, he could make himself believe it too. The pounding eventually came to an end. Judging by the shadow under the door and that he could still smell Gray, he deduced the ice mage was sitting on the other side of the door. Soon the sun set and Gray started to walk away, that's when he started to **feel**, and they were all too familiar emotions; loneliness, abandonment, doubt, fear, and insecurity. He was relieved to know Gray had given up and gone home. He knew he was pulling away for his own good. Falling apart was inevitable; he closed his eyes and uselessly tried to calm down. He felt tears prick his eyes as droplets streaked down his face; and he felt weak. Natsu knew he had to get it together, this wasn't like him. The house seemed so much bigger all by himself, and he couldn't help but feel more small and alone than he ever had. He hated feeling like this, and he hated himself for letting it get the best of him.

*Gray's pov*

Gray opened his apartment door, closing and locking it behind him. He made his way to the couch and dropped onto it. Natsu had sat in this very spot just a little while ago, and now the flame head wouldn't even talk to him. He told himself this was temporary, that Natsu would talk to him again tomorrow, but he wasn't sure about that. Anger bubbled underneath his skin. How could Natsu just walk away? How could he leave him after everything that had happened? Everyone has problems, life's just that way, but most people tried to get through it, not let it shut them down. Natsu was extremely strong, anyone could see that. Maybe not as much as Erza or Gildarts physically, but his sheer determination and willpower made him one of the strongest people Gray knew. Gray, hell the whole guild knew that, even if Natsu himself didn't. He wanted to be able to help, just like Natsu had helped him when he was captured. So of course he was pissed that Natsu wouldn't let him in, the pinkette was such a hypocrite. It wasn't healthy for Natsu to hold everything in, and Gray had a feeling that was what he had been doing for a while now.

"Why now, Natsu? Why did you shut me out after I finally realized I liked you?" Gray whispered to the ceiling. He lay long wise on the couch. _This is temporary, this is temporary, this is temporary,_ repeated in his mind like a mantra. Maybe if he said it enough, he'd start to believe it.

*Natsu's pov*

He woke with a start and looked around. He must have fallen asleep sitting by the door. He stood and walked to the bathroom, splashing water on his face. He looked in the mirror and decided he looked normal enough to go to the guild. When he arrived, everyone looked at him, probably wondering about yesterday. He ignored the stares and walked up to Mira and Lucy at the bar.

"Hey Lucy, Mira." He put on a painted grin and acted normal. Mira and Lucy looked relieved, which indicated that it had fooled them.

"So did you make up with Gray?" Mira asked with a smile. His grin faltered, not sure what to say. This didn't go unnoticed by the two girls, who exchanged a knowing glance.

"Yeah, I think we came to an understanding." Lucy was about to say something, standing up from her seat, but then the guild doors opened again and the topic of their conversation walked in and looked around. He made eye contact with Gray, immediately noticing the bags under his eyes. He didn't want to see him like this. He didn't want to hurt him either, but this was for the best. Gray could find someone else more reliable. But it seriously hurt seeing the ice mage like that.

*Gray's pov*

He searched the crowded guild hall for a sign of Natsu. He spotted him over by Lucy and Mira at the bar. He was grinning at them, but Gray knew he was pretending he was okay. They all looked at him standing by the guild doors and Natsu's façade slipped and his fake grin fell. The pinkette looked at him with eyes full of regret and something else he couldn't identify. He made his way over through a group of people but when he finally made it there, Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, have any of you seen Natsu? He was right here a second ago." Lucy looked around with surprise, obviously not realizing he had left. Mira's face fell when she realized the dragon slayer was gone. He couldn't believe they didn't notice that Natsu was hurting.

"I'm assuming this means you didn't make up… He told us you came to an understanding." He knew that their fight had taken a toll on her.

"Mira, it's okay. It's not your fault. I think he's avoiding me. He wants to work together, but just be guild mates, not friends. I honestly don't think this is about yesterday. So don't worry about it." He went home, not feeling like being at the guild and seeing Natsu pretend to be happy. _This is temporary. _He went home and curled up in his bed, drifting to sleep almost immediately from exhaustion.

Weeks had passed and nothing had changed. Natsu was rarely around. The pinkette went on so many missions to avoid him and the guild. He rarely slept now, every time he closed his eyes, he felt like he was back in that cell. He had lost all hope in this being temporary. In fact, he threw that passive idea to the wind a while ago. He wasn't going to sit back and rely on something to change his situation. He was going to have to change it himself. He walked into the guild, determined to fix this. He walked up to all of his and Natsu's friends and told them that he needed to talk to them right away.

His friends, excluding Natsu, who went on a mission for this week and would be returning in a few days, all sat at their usual table in the guild. Gajeel, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Levy, Happy, and Carla all sat down and watched him. He looked at them seriously. They all immediately got serious, already knowing what this meeting was going to be about.

"We need to talk about Natsu."

TBC

Author's note: Some of Natsu and Gray's feelings in this chapter are inspired by a song called **Stained Glass Masquerade** by **Casting Crowns**. I usually am inspired by music I listen to while writing. I have songs specifically for Gray and Natsu as well but they'll come in later, so I won't ruin what they are. :) To be honest, I had some difficulty writing this chapter. I did show that Gray liked Natsu for the readers who were curious about whether they would have some sort of relationship. So far though, I've tried to make it like a one-sided crush. The fight between them was the hard part. I wanted to have something happen, but for it to not involve the mysterious villain. So I thought a fight would cause issues, so I went with it. I really adore their relationship, even them as friends in the show and manga, so it was hard to write them having an actual fight instead of their usual messing around. Also, I wanted to show that Gray isn't the only one with issues, albeit his are more recent, so I had Natsu have some problems of his own. Natsu isn't perfect, but he always seems happy or really pissed off because someone messed with his family, so I thought it would be interesting to write how he would be when he's all alone. So I hope it isn't horribly written. I tried my best so I apologize in advance. Well I hope you guys like it! I like to know what you guys think about the story and any ideas or questions you have so feel free to review, private message me, or follow the story if you like it ^^

uzukun89: "I am glad that Natsu somewhat recovers and rushes to the Oración Seis headquarters to save Gray and fight Cobra. Lyon, you are such an inconsiderate person. Blaming Natsu because of the injuries on Gray's body (while it cannot be helped) is uncool. I am glad that there is someone who views Natsu as a simpleminded yet determined character as well as in canon material. Come on, he is not as dense as many fans think (especially for uke!Natsu fans). He has several deep moments, even when it comes to his best friend and his rival, Gray.  
Again, a cliffhanger? This time, it is a mysterious figure watching Gray afar via the lacrima."

Thank you for reviewing again, I really love reading them! I agree that Lyon was uncool, I really didn't intend for him to be such a jerk, but it just kinda happened. I wanted to show his protective side because I was going to write him into the story later on, but he wasn't going to be that mean. I thought about it from a different perspective where he kind of blamed himself and was angry, so he took it out on Natsu, but I should have written it better to show that. So I'll have to make up for his behavior later. Thank you! He definitely isn't that oblivious, his character is a little more complex to me than that. I love that he is "simpleminded yet determined", that's a really good way to put it. He **does** have deep moments with characters in the show where you see he isn't just carefree and oblivious, and those are some of my favorites. I'm glad you feel that way too! And yep! Another cliffhanger. Although this one won't be addressed right away. I hope you liked this chapter!

Guest: "That was awesome! Is Natsu gonna kiss gray in the end or something?"

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. As for Natsu kissing Gray, I have some ideas about whether or not that's going to happen. The story focuses on how they progress with each other and everyone else, as well as overcome their obstacles. If I told you that, it would definitely take away from the story as a whole. But if you really want to know, I can tell you what I was thinking of doing, but I don't want to ruin it for everyone else. So please personal message me if you have an account or you can just wait and see! :) I am planning on uploading a new chapter every week so your question will be answered sooner or later. Thank you so much for reviewing! ^^

.oO: "Another great chapter! I love Gray & Natsu relationship in your story!"

Thank you! I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you love their relationship! I think they are adorable as a couple ^^ I really appreciate your reviews and I'm glad you like my story! I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

xlilxskittlesx: "Love this story! Cant wait to read more xD"

I'm glad you like it! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! ^^

nazurath92: "Great chapter such a good story looking forward to more I'm really interested in Gray new power :)"

Thanks for reading and reviewing my story, I'm really glad you like it so far! :)


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

Chapter 5

*Natsu's pov*

He trudged down the streets of Magnolia, dreading going to the guild after his mission. He let out a sigh as he continued walking past alleys on his way. He stopped in his tracks when he sensed someone familiar, although it was a little too late. He was yanked into the alley to his left and he turned, about to give the jerk a piece of his mind, when he noticed who had grabbed him. Erza looked at him coldly, while Lucy stood there nervously.

"What's going on? Why aren't you at the guild?"

"Natsu, we need to talk. " He stared at his blonde friend before turning around, leaving the alley. Before he could even take a step, he felt a cold, metal hand clamp down on his shoulder and he instantly froze.

"We need to talk. Now." He nodded and turned around, fearing for his life.

"This is about Gray." It was more of a statement than it was a question, but the two girls nodded anyway.

"Why are you avoiding him? Why are you avoiding **us**? You're never at the guild anymore because you take so many missions; it's gone on long enough, Natsu. This has to end, do you understand?" He nodded again, knowing there was no way he could say no to the red head, even if he wanted to.

"How is everyone? How is he?" He mumbled quietly, but they still heard it. Erza's eyes narrowed.

"You're avoiding everyone and now you want to know how everyone's doing?! Go ask him yourself if you're so curious! I'm sure he'd love to talk to you since you haven't spoken to him or us in what feels like ages." His shoulders sagged. Of course they wouldn't tell him. There was no way he could talk to Gray, if he did, all of this would have been for nothing. He stood up straight.

"Nah, I think I'm good. Thanks for the talk. See ya at the guild." He saw Erza's eyes blaze for barely a second before he ran for the guild before she could stop him again. He kicked the doors open and ran in, heading for behind the bar. He ducked below the counter and motioned for Mira to not say anything. Not even a minute later, Erza burst through the door, looking livid.

"Where is he?!" He knew Mira would keep quiet because she liked to mess with Erza, but he couldn't guarantee she wouldn't tell Gray or anyone else. As soon as Erza was gone, he had to move fast.

"Who are you looking for Erza? You're the only one who burst in today. What's the rush?" Mira said with a wicked smile. He could feel the tension between the two mages as he crawled along the bottom of the counter, planning on sneaking out the other side. He was really close when he saw metal embellished boots stand in the way. He abruptly stopped and backed up, but not quickly enough. He was yanked out for the second time today and dragged away, luckily Erza wasn't paying attention. Gajeel dragged him outside and threw him down. He barely had time to look up before he was shoved against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're not your usual self, its pisses me off more than when you're acting normal…" Gajeel looked away with a glare and Natsu noticed a shock of blue coming toward them.

"Gajeel! You weren't supposed to beat him up, we were **supposed** to bring him to Gray, remember?" Levy teased the iron dragon slayer. He smiled a little at their antics.

"Yeah, well this whole situation is stupid and pathetic; it's practically destroying both of them, so I figured that I would beat some sense into him. I barely even touched him before you came anyways." Levy smiled at Gajeel, who looked away with a slight blush.

"Well, grab him before he gets away and we'll head to Gray's now," she started walking while Gajeel held him in a steel vise grip and caught up to the solid script mage.

*Gray's pov*

He sat on the couch, nodding off every now and then, that always resulted in him jerking awake. He knew Natsu was going to be returning any day now but he didn't even have enough energy to go to the guild these days. He hadn't slept in forever, every time he closed his eyes he flashed back to the cell and torture he went through. His eyes unwillingly closed, when he heard a light knock at the door. He stood up unsteadily and trudged to the door, opening it. Levy and Gajeel walked in with a familiar pinkette and he was surprised to say the least. He knew he looked like hell and he wasn't expecting them so soon. He walked over to the couch and plopped down again, as his guests did as well.

"Hey guys. Wasn't expecting you so soon…" He stated with half-lidded eyes. He noticed Natsu looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and a worried expression.

*Natsu's pov*

He figured Gray would be upset, but he didn't expect it to be this bad. He literally looked like a walking skeleton. The raven had dark bags under his eyes, and he looked like he had lost some weight. To be honest, Gray looked like shit. When was the last time he went outside? Was he always this pale?

"Gray, what happened to you? Are you okay?" He was curious, but he never meant to ask. It might seem cruel to have just walked away from all of it, but he couldn't let his demons hurt anyone, but seeing Gray like this made him question if any of it was worth all that had been happening when he was gone. He had done this to Gray, right? Maybe avoiding them wasn't such a great idea. He knew the minute he saw Gray everything would fall apart, and it did. He couldn't keep avoiding them, it wasn't working, and doing it was hurting everyone. He wanted to hide the truth, to shelter them from everything. He had let everyone down. He couldn't do this; he couldn't keep seeing everyone hurting because of him. He knew what he had to do.

"I can't sleep, they're everywhere, Natsu. I haven't actually slept since you started ignoring me, right after what happened…" He felt a pang of guilt run through him.

"Gray, I'll stay with you, but you need to sleep. I'll be right here though, okay?" Gray nodded wearily as Natsu got up and picked the raven up, nodding to Gajeel and Levy.

"I'll be at the guild tomorrow or whenever he wakes up feeling better. Thanks." They smiled and nodded, heading for the door. He walked into the bedroom and tucked Gray into his bed. He took in what Gray's bedroom looked like. Gray's bed had a black comforter and navy blue sheets and his desk was clean, only having a few pictures hanging on the wall next to it. There was one of their team, including Happy. They were all smiling while he was grinning while making bunny ears behind Gray. He remembered when they took that. The next one was him, Gray, and Erza as kids. Gray was scowling in his boxers, while he and Erza were smiling. The last one was of just him and Gray when they had first become friends. They were looking at each other; Gray was sideways glancing at him with a slight smile and he was wearing his signature grin again. Natsu smiled wistfully as he headed back to the door. He felt a tug on his vest as he walked past the bed. He glanced over his shoulder with wide eyes.

"Gray?" The ice mage was sitting up, clenching his vest in his hand.

"You said you would stay with me…"

"Gray, I was going to get water, I was gonna come back... Sorry for freaking you out and waking you up."

"You- you can't leave. Not again… Please…" He pulled Gray's hand off of his vest and hugged the raven.

"I won't." He winced at that but held onto the icy teen until he fell back asleep. He got up slowly and got a glass of water, returning to sit on the bed next to the sleeping mage.

He watched Gray's chest rise and fall, the raven looked so peaceful and content, and it was strange to think just moments ago he looked ten times older than he actually was. It wasn't long before Natsu drifted off as well.

He woke up to a blood curdling scream. Immediately sitting up and looking over at the source, he saw Gray curled in a ball sobbing.

"Gray, it's okay. No one can hurt you, trust me. I'm the only one here." Gray flinched at first and then rolled over to look at him. He could see the fear and tears in his eyes. He held his arms open for the scared raven.

"Come here. Everything's going to be okay. I'll make sure of that, I promise. For now, you need to sleep. Then I will make everything better, you'll be better off that way…" Gray clung to his vest, still shaking. Natsu hugged Gray tightly and ran his fingers soothingly through his soft, spiky black hair repeatedly. He felt the mage slowly relax and drift off again, still clinging onto him. After making sure the mage was okay and fast asleep, he closed his eyes, falling back asleep almost instantly.

The next time he woke up, it was because it was morning. Gray had successfully made it through the rest of the night without having any nightmares. He glanced down to see that Gray was still laying on him in a deep sleep. The ice mage looked better already. Natsu shifted Gray onto the bed again and got up to go to the bathroom. When he came back, he ran his hand through the silky hair again but Gray was still fast asleep, so he left a note saying he went to the guild and he would hopefully see him there. With that he walked out of the apartment.

*Gray's pov*

He remembered feeling really warm. He felt comforted by the heat, but he knew it was Natsu. When he woke up, the heat was gone. He panicked, where had Natsu gone? He got up and looked around; finding a note saying Natsu went to the guild. He remembered Natsu saying he would make everything better and Gray would be better off, but he wasn't sure what Natsu meant. He walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, he looked a lot better. It was surprising what one night's sleep could do. He got dressed into clean clothes and left to go find Natsu at the guild. They still needed to talk.

Gray opened the guild doors and walked inside, noticing that Natsu was talking to everyone with his signature grin. They made eye contact and Natsu grinned even more, if it was possible. He felt his face heat up, why did he keep running from the truth? Did he really only have a crush on Natsu, or was it something more? He knew he shouldn't like Natsu, it would never go anywhere, but he just couldn't help it. He didn't know how to not like someone or make this feeling stop. He tried to let go of Natsu and how he felt, but it just wouldn't work. The pinkette was always on his mind, when he wasn't having nightmares, and not having Natsu around was tough. Natsu nodded to him and headed upstairs to see the master, probably to talk about the mission. He came down awhile after and walked up to their usual table.

"Well, it's been nice catching up with everyone, but I think I'm gonna head home. It's been awhile." He smiled at them as they all nodded. He looked at Gray and leaned down to his ear.

"Gray, everything will get better from here. I promised, remember? Just trust me. Sleep more okay? I'd hate to see you that bad ever again. See ya round. Goodbye, Gray." With that, he walked away and waved to everyone, then left through the doors. What did Natsu mean? This didn't add up. The master walked out of his office and was making an announcement.

"One of our members has decided to leave the guild. They have a path they want to follow, but they don't know when they'll be back." People were questioning who, but Gray was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention.

"Natsu Dragneel has decided to leave the guild indefinitely; he wants to search for Igneel, the dragon who took him in." Gray's eyes widened. _Goodbye, Gray._ No way. Natsu had promised he wouldn't leave him again. _He lied._ He stood up abruptly, his stool clattering to the floor. He heard people trying to calm him down, but he ignored them, already running for the doors. Kicking them open, Gray ran full speed after the dragon slayer. Natsu couldn't have gotten far. He had a feeling that Natsu wasn't going to even go home, he was leaving for good. Nearing the entrance to Magnolia, he saw a speck of pink in the distance. Gray pushed himself even more nearing the pinkette. Natsu stopped and turned around, looking confused. Natsu had barely turned and registered him before he punched him in the face, hard. Natsu's head snapped back as he stumbled backward.

"What the hell, Natsu?! You're leaving the guild?!" He clenched his fists as Natsu looked at him. Natsu's lip and nose were bleeding.

"Gray? It's for the best."

"It's for the best?! Don't give me that bullshit! I tried to talk to you, then I gave you space, but this is just ridiculous! Stop being so damn hard headed, and tell me what's actually bothering you!"

"I can't Gray."

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I'm fully capable of understanding you. Do **not** look down on me! I can tell something's going on! You must think I'm stupid, and maybe I am. I mean, I trusted **you**, right? So I guess I'm stupid and worthless to you, huh?" He saw Natsu glare at him, and he couldn't help but be smug that this was actually going to work.

"You're not stupid or worthless! I wanted to protect you, but I failed! I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am! **I'm** worthless and pathetic, not you!" He could tell Natsu was getting more pissed by the minute.

"My parents left me all alone, and then Igneel found me. He eventually abandoned me too! Everyone I let get close to me always leaves in the end! No one ever wanted me! You'll leave too, I know that. But I still keep wishing that you won't, but deep down, I know you will! I need to let go and move on, before you or anyone gets too close. Don't you see? How can I help you, if I can't even help myself?!" His eyes widened, Natsu thought he was going to leave him? He would never do that. He stepped closer to the dragon slayer, feeling the heat radiating off of his body. He looked into his green eyes and saw the torture there. Natsu immediately backed up.

"Don't come near me! It's too late. You can't help me. I let all of you down, I let **you** down! It's easier this way. You'll get through this without me, you'll see. When I first met you, you're eyes were so bright, there was something there that I wanted to protect, but it's not my place anymore, you need someone stronger. I'm weak, useless. I get that." Natsu backed up even more. He realized that they were both being stupid.

"You idiot. I never asked you to protect me; you decided that on your own. It's not supposed to be one-sided. We're supposed to help each other! If you can't escape this, I'll show you how. You **are** strong. I need you to help me with my nightmares. Look at me. I promise I won't leave you, just don't leave me. I can help you, just like you can help me! Just give me a chance." Natsu looked away, conflicted, and then he made eye contact, nodding his head.

"Okay. I promise." Gray ran up and hugged him tight. Natsu hugged him back slowly.

"Don't do that ever again! I thought you were seriously going to leave, that you wouldn't listen to me! You're such a jerk sometimes!" He pushed away to look at Natsu.

"Okay! Jesus, Gray! I'm sorry! How many times do you want me to say it?!"

"You left the guild dammit! How could you do that to them?! To me?!" He was on a rant, Natsu's replies going in one ear and out the other. To be honest, he was afraid. Afraid of Natsu leaving him all alone.

"Gray..."

"I mean you just **left**! You didn't even say you were leaving! You just walked out all nonchalantly, like you were gonna come back!"

"Gray." Natsu got serious, but he couldn't stop yelling.

"God, Natsu. I** ran** all the way here to catch you! I can't believe you were actually going to go through with it!"

"GRAY! I like you okay?!" He immediately shut up. He looked at Natsu with wide eyes. He had to have heard Natsu wrong.

"What?"

"I SAID I LIKE YOU!" Natsu screamed at him, stepping closer. He could see that Natsu was taking a risk, he looked worried.

"Well, maybe I like you too!"

"So ya wanna go out?!"

"How the hell am I supposed to trust you?! I mean, you lied, and left me!" Natsu looked hurt for a split second before his face morphed into determination.

"I'll just have to make you trust me! So go out with me! I can prove it to you!"

"Fine, I'll go out with you!"

"Wait, why are we still yelling?" Natsu and Gray just looked at each other. Then Natsu grinned while Gray just chuckled with a small smile. They stepped closer to each other, almost like there was a magnetic force between them. The two teens were inches apart, their lips drawing closer by the second.

"What the hell is going on here?!" They jumped away from each other guiltily. They felt an all too familiar evil aura consume them, as they turned slowly.

"Erza?! W-what are y-you doing h-here? N-nothing was going o-on..." Gray squeaked out. The red head looked completely serious.

"A-aye!" She took in Natsu's bloody lip and nose, and the bruising.

"Were you two fighting?!" She got even more livid, if it was possible.

"N-no. He f-fell on his w-way here! We were just talking! R-right, Natsu?" He looked to the pinkette for support.

"Aye!" Erza calmed down almost immediately.

"Well, if that's the case then. Natsu. You're leaving?" The two males relaxed right after her dark aura dissipated.

"Actually, I changed my mind, I'm gonna return to Fairy Tail." Natsu grinned at Erza, who smiled warmly.

"Good, I'm glad. We all would have missed you. Let's go back and inform the Master that you've changed you're mind." She turned to lead the way, Gray and Natsu following her.

"Gray. Thanks. For everything." Natsu gave him a small smile, which seemed to melt his insides. How could he stay mad when Natsu kept doing things like that?

"Yeah, yeah. It was nothing." He grumbled and looked away, before his resolve crumbled. Natsu chuckled before stopping in his tracks.

"Natsu? What is it?" Natsu seemed on edge, which freaked him out a little.

"I feel like someone's watching us. Do you?" He stopped walking as well.

"Now that you mention it, yeah I do." He felt a shiver run down his spine. Who would want to watch them? That guy in charge of Oración Seis? Natsu visibly bristled, grabbing Gray and walking faster towards the guild, feeling eyes on them all the way to the wooden doors.

"They just seem to be watching us, so I think they aren't going to make a move just yet, they might not even be in Magnolia. Still, we should watch our backs." Natsu looked at him seriously once they were safe inside the guild. He nodded, and they made their way up to tell the Master everything that happened. Gray couldn't help but feel on edge for the rest of the day, even during the celebration for Natsu choosing to stay. Natsu seemed wary as well, but there wasn't much they could do. They had informed the master of what they sensed and he told them to stay on guard. Natsu walked up to him in the middle of the party.

"I'm going to stay with you at your house, for real this time. I'll get my stuff tomorrow. You've been having nightmares, and there's obviously someone watching us. It'd make sense for us to stay together." He nodded at the dragon slayer. He felt safe with Natsu, but who would keep Natsu safe? He frowned at that thought. He wanted to protect the pinkette just like Natsu protected him, but if something were to happen from his past, he wouldn't be around. How safe were they really? He shook his head of the negative thoughts, promising to do his best. He took part in the rowdiness of the guild until nightfall, when everyone began to head home. Natsu motioned towards the door, asking in a silent question if he wanted to go home. He nodded, and they headed towards the door, pushing it open and walking into the fresh air. It was getting chillier at night, hinting that it would soon change seasons from summer to fall. He loved the colder seasons that made him feel more at home. But tonight he couldn't shake the itching feeling that something bad was looming, waiting to strike. He pushed it to the back of his mind and walked closer to Natsu, feeling the warmth radiate off the pinkette as they headed to his apartment.

TBC

Author's note: So Gray and Natsu get together! Sort of. The songs I used as inspiration were **Crush** by **David Archuleta** and **Just So You Know** by **Jessie McCartney** for Gray. It was** Demons** by **Imagine Dragons** for Natsu. I've been super sick this weekend with a fever and some kind of head cold, so I couldn't work on this as much as I had hoped to. I wanted to post it Sunday but that obviously didn't happen. Sorry if it's horrible, I got stuck and couldn't think of what to write for this chapter. I hope you all like it! Please feel free to follow, favorite, or review! I like to hear what you have to say! Thanks to all whom favorite, follow, and review my story! Onto the reviews!

uzukun89: "Natsu and Gray having a serious fight. Instead insulting each other, they just mute each other (it kinda reminds me a lot about an episode of certain magical girl series created by Toei). I cannot decide which one is an idiot. Honestly, both of them are idiots. For several years, is their relationship meaningless? I guess it is up to Lucy and the rest to reunite them."

Really? That's cool, what show? Yeah I agree about them both being stupid. Hopefully this chapter will clear some of Natsu's issues up, it wasn't that his relationship with Gray was meaningless, but more of the fact that it meant too much, but they are all good now, so yay! :) Gray shouldn't have yelled that out, but I couldn't help but feel like Natsu was being way childish about not wanting to talk about his problems, but he finally cracked. Lucy and their friends helped, but in the end, I felt like Gray and Natsu had to want to fix it, and be the ones to actually make everything better. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for your review! ^^

QuatroPuppy: "I'm really enjoying this story so far but I can't help but feel that Gray wasn't persistent enough with Natsu."

Thank you, I'm glad you like it! And yeah, I get what you mean. Gray giving Natsu space was almost like him giving up, but to me, Gray had his own problems to deal with, but yeah, I think if he had tried to talk to Natsu repetitively at the beginning, they may have gotten somewhere quicker, although the end result might have been different. Hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reviewing! :)

xlilxskittlesx: "So happy you updated this! I really love how you a developing the characters and evolving them to fit the story the way they need to. I'm really interested to see where this will end up at. Looking forward to the next update :)"

I'm glad you like reading it! And thank you, I'm really glad you think it's good! I hope you continue reading it and liking it. I hope you liked this chapter ^^ Thanks for reviewing!

Vivianne95: "I'M REALLY REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!  
Seriously good... I really like your writing style and the way you are portraying Gray and Natsu actually truly makes sense."

Well I'm glad you're pumped for the next chapter! Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! I'm happy you are so into it and that the characters make sense! I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters

I also don't own Sakura or Allen. I picked their names but ended up using the two main people in the song **Just Be Friends** by Luka Megurine from Vocaloid as inspiration for their looks. I also used a quote from Smaug from _**The Hobbit.**_

I should apologize in advance for not posting this sooner, I wasn't sure what to write for awhile, and I was super busy with school, but it still sucks that I couldn't post this until now. I also went to Europe for 11 days with my art class so I couldn't write there either. Sorry to those who were waiting for an update! But I hope you like this chapter! I also have been inspired with new ideas for new stories, so maybe I'll start another one and post it. This is actually the longest chapter I've written so far. I'm surprised!

Chapter 6

*Natsu's pov*

They were seconds away from Gray's house and he couldn't help feeling nervous. When he told Gray they should stay together out of their best interest, he hadn't actually thought it through. He was going to be at Gray's for who knows how long! How would he be able to do that? I mean, they said they were going out but they never really got to talk about it. Then there was the whole almost kiss; he honestly didn't know if he could control himself when the raven was so damn captivating. Ugh. This was gonna be rough, he just knew it. Lost in his thoughts, Natsu obliviously walked right into a door, practically flattening his face from the impact.

"Ow! Damn, when did this door get here?!" He looked over at Gray, clearly frustrated. The raven looked at him, chuckling with one eyebrow raised.

"You're such an idiot. That's what you get for being distracted." The ice mage teased the pinkette, making the latter scowl.

"Stop laughing, it wasn't funny." The pinkette's expression made the raven laugh even more, and soon he couldn't help but grin at how normal Gray seemed. It was nice to see him like that, especially with everything that happened. Gray's laughter eventually subsided and he unlocked the door, swinging the door open. Gray walked in while Natsu scanned the pitch black apartment nervously.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" A hand darted out and yanked him in the door, then slammed it shut. Natsu's eyes adjusted quickly to the total darkness, allowing him to see Gray make his way over and flip on the lights. The room was bathed in light, and they looked at each other from across the room. The atmosphere quickly grew awkward as they stared at each other. Gray turned away, heading for the kitchen, but not before Natsu noticed Gray's face get a little red. The pinkette smirked at that.

"I'm getting water! Want some, Flame-brain?" Gray called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks! And don't call me that, Popsicle!" Gray remerged and they sat in the living room, Natsu on the couch and Gray across from him in the chair again. The water was on the coffee table, forgotten for the moment. Awkward silence enveloped them as they sat, both avoiding eye contact.

"So, I'm assuming you want to talk about everything, huh?" He whispered, looking straight at the raven. Gray's eyes snapped to the pinkette. He nodded slowly, thinking it over.

"Yeah, I do. Let's start from the beginning. What happened?" He knew Gray was talking about his past. He looked to the floor, thinking about what he was going to say. His eyes grew distant as he became lost in the memory of when he was younger, before he had met Igneel, when he still had his real family.

*Flashback*

"Natsu, it's time for dinner! Come on in!" A woman's silhouette could be seen standing in the door way of a cozy home. A young Natsu came running up to her, smiling.

"Okay mama!" He ran inside and she smiled, closing the door to the house. The woman turned and walked away from the door. Long, straight pink hair flowed down to her mid thighs with bangs that went straight across her forehead. What stood out most were her teal eyes that seemed to pierce straight into your soul. She was slender and petite, 22-years-old.

"Hey, Sakura. Is it time for Natsu's bath?" A young man with black short hair and side swept bangs stepped out into the bright entryway. He was skinny and slightly taller than the woman now known as Sakura. His eyes seemed black at first, but with further inspection they were actually dark forest green up close. He also seemed to be in his early twenties, just like the woman. Natsu stopped and listened intently when he heard the word bath.

"Yeah, I'll go grab his stuff if you grab him, Allen." She smiled broadly at him. He smirked at her while Natsu snuck away to go and hide from his dad and the inevitable bath.

"Deal." He walked back into the house sneakily. "Ohhh Natsu! Where ever could you be?" Natsu ducked under the coffee table, trying to suppress his giggling, not wanting to get caught. Sakura smiled and headed upstairs to get a change of clothes for Natsu. Natsu felt his foot being grabbed and his body was tugged out from his hiding spot.

"Found you!" His dad laughed and picked him up. Natsu was then brought to the bathroom where a hot bath waited for him. He squirmed as soon as the bathtub came into view, trying to get out of his father's arms. His parents removed his dirty clothes and slowly lowered him into the steaming water. He resisted a little at first but slowly found he actually liked the bath and the high temperature. Once his parents had scrubbed Natsu clean, they took him out and set him in a fuzzy, big towel that he snuggled into. He tugged his pajamas on while his mom gently dried his hair with the towel.

"Now off to bed." His mother said with a big smile. He grinned at her and ran up the steps to his room. His mom and dad soon walked in and sat with him as he started to get drowsy. He hugged them each tightly as he settled into his bed.

"You won't leave me ever, right mommy? Right, daddy?" He asked with drooping eyes. His mother grinned while his dad smiled gently.

"Never. We promise, Natsu. We'll always be here." His dad nodded at his mother's answer as they turned off the light and started to close the door.

"See you tomorrow, little guy." He heard his dad whisper before both his parents left, whispering I love you to him as the door closed completely. He drifted off to sleep with a smile, no longer being able to keep his eyes open.

Smoke. Natsu woke from his slumber and immediately started coughing. He climbed off his bed and walked over to his door. He touched the handle and hissed. The metal knob was red and burning hot. He felt heat radiate off his door and suddenly the door broke open. His mom came staggering in, and collapsed on her knees. Natsu could see flames licking the walls of the hallway behind her. He looked at her with frightened eyes.

"Mommy, what's going on?" His mom looked at him with heartbroken eyes. She grabbed him and pulled him closer.

"Honey, everything's going to be fine. Daddy's a little busy right now, but I came to get you and send you somewhere. Everything will be okay." She reassured him with a small smile that didn't seem real. She wobbled over to the window where the roof sloped down close to the ground.

"Natsu, don't be afraid. Don't let this define who you are. Don't hate the heat or fire, it's not at fault. Don't be afraid." She told him as tears fell down her cheeks. She lifted him onto the window sill.

"Mommy, aren't you coming?" He whispered, tears pricking his eyes. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't want to be alone. She shook her head sadly.

"I can't, I'm so sorry. I have to try and help daddy. Just wait outside, okay? We will come find you if we can. I'm sorry, Natsu. It seems I lied. I was hoping this wouldn't happen. Don't ever forget we love you." She pushed him gently down the sloped roof and watched him slide down, landing on the dirt. He looked up at his mom as tears blurred his vision. She turned and disappeared from the window. He watched the opening for what felt like hours, watching the flames slowly come into view. His parents never came, and soon the house collapsed in on itself, not being able to hold its weight and structure against the flames. Natsu felt the tears become an onslaught as the house crumbled down.

"You told me you would never leave! You promised!" He cried out to his missing parents. The fire slowly spread along the grass and he was forced to run into the woods. As he walked he felt the spring rain start and soon it was pouring down, effectively soaking the little boy and extinguishing the fire. He wandered for a very long time, and after a few days he had forgotten how long he had been walking. Soon he was found by a dragon named Igneel and was taught fire dragon slaying magic. He hated it at first and wouldn't go anywhere near it, but something Igneel said changed his mind.

"Don't be afraid of the fire, Natsu. It isn't evil; it can save a person, that's why I'm teaching you. So don't be afraid of it, let it in. Become one with the fire and you will then understand it, thus being able to control it." Natsu's eyes widened as he remembered his mother saying something similar. He nodded his head and learned the fire magic, aiming to gain the ability to save the people he cared about and to make up for the ones he couldn't. Then one day, Igneel disappeared. He searched for him for weeks, but never found a trace. That was when he met the master Makarov of a guild called Fairy Tail and they headed to the guild Makarov spoke so highly of, the guild he would soon call home.

*flashback end*

Natsu looked down at his hands, remembering all that happened really took a toll. He felt tired and couldn't even look Gray in the eyes. He knew he would see pity there, and he hated that fact the most. Actually, thinking back, he realized that his mother had been talking about the promise she had made.

"_We will always be here….I lied."_ He never really understood what she had meant as a child, and as he grew up, he never really thought about it until now. He frowned as he gathered his thoughts and expressed them out loud.

"Thinking about it, Igneel and my mom were wrong. I hurt people every day just to save people. That doesn't seem right to me. Fire burns everything it touches; those people I hurt could have families. I mean, yeah they were bad people and they ended up in jail and injured because of what they had done, but it doesn't change the fact that fire hurts anyone and anything it lays a finger on. I came to terms with that fact a long time ago and eventually got used to it, but it still haunts me sometimes. The fact that my touch can kill, that it's inevitable for everyone to leave, even you, because deep down at my core, I am fire, I am death… And nothing can change that. You shouldn't be anywhere near me, let alone be dating me. This was a horrible idea." Gray was silent for so long, Natsu didn't think he would respond at all. He figured the raven would take his advice and kick him out, but the ice mage surprised him by wrapping icy arms around his slumped form.

"You really are an idiot. We all hurt bad people to save ones in need. It isn't just you. Yeah, fire destroys a lot but it helps people as well. It provides warmth, and ways to cook food. So what if it destroys some stuff? I think it fits your personality a lot actually. You've never actually killed anyone, Natsu. The fire that burned your house down was caused by something else, so don't blame yourself. Your parents didn't choose to leave you. They probably wanted to stay by you and watch you grow, but they couldn't. Igneel disappeared as well as all the other dragons, and they probably have a good reason for that; isn't that what you want to know? The reason he left? And maybe at your core you _are_ fire, and yes that can lead to death, but I don't see anything wrong with that. Fire can kill, but death is inevitable. People will die when their time has come no matter what. I know you won't kill anyone anyways. You aren't just fire, or just any fire for that matter. To me you are Natsu; just Natsu, a hotheaded flame brain. And you're a fire worth watching burn, so don't go out, ya hear me?! To me, you are someone very important. I'm not going anywhere. When you asked me out and I agreed? I wasn't planning on chickening out. I'm not fragile! What kind of person do ya take me for?"Natsu's eyes widened as he held his head in his hands. Gray accepted him? Even though fire was ingrained in his soul? The ice mage truly accepted him… to the raven, he was just Natsu; to Gray, he was important. Gray isn't going anywhere. Natsu couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm important? You'll never leave?" He whispered quietly. He felt the raven tighten his hold.

"Yes, you're important to a lot of people, not just me. And I won't leave you ever, so don't leave me either, okay?" Natsu nodded and he heard Gray sigh in relief. He lifted his head and looked at the raven, grinning.

"Thanks Gray!"

"You looked down, and it wasn't normal. It's not like I care or anything! So stop being exuberantly happy, it's too much." Gray stared at Natsu intently for a few seconds.

"From how you described your parents, you look a lot like them, but mostly your mom. Your personality, grin, hair; you seem so much like her." Gray smiled when Natsu gave him a surprised look.

"Are you saying I look like a girl?" He asked incredulously. Gray burst out laughing.

"Seriously? I was saying you reminded me of your parents, and that's what you take from it. Wow." He raised his eyebrow at the laughing mage, before grinning. Once Gray's laughter died down, he grew serious again.

"Seriously Natsu, don't ever try to leave like that again. It really freaked me out."

*Gray's pov*

"I won't Gray. I promise." Gray nodded and went to sit back down in the chair when tan arms lashed out and yanked him onto the couch. He squealed, not expecting that. He was now sitting between Natsu's legs with the dragon slayer's arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. He immediately blushed and struggled to get free.

"Natsu let me go. Let me go!" He didn't want Natsu to see him embarrassed but Natsu just hugged him tighter.

"Gray, I'm not letting go, so stop struggling. You're important to me too, and everything is gonna be okay. We won't let them get you. **I** won't let them." He nodded, but he felt the tears prick his eyes. How was Natsu so sure?

"What if that isn't enough?" He asked quietly. Natsu shifted on the couch so that they were looking at each other.

"What do you mean?"

"What if they hurt everyone at the guild to get to me? What if they hurt you? I wouldn't be able to live with that! What if they stop at nothing to get what they want?" He refused to look at Natsu, covering his face with his hands.

"Gray. That won't happen, even if something were to happen to me, they couldn't take out the whole guild. We are too strong for that, there will always be someone there for you. Have a little faith in us." He peeked at Natsu from in between his fingers and saw Natsu grin at him. Natsu reached up and removed Gray's hands from his face and noticed the tears he wouldn't let fall.

"It's okay Gray. Don't worry. I know it was hard for you to let people in again after what happened in your past, but if I can help it, you won't feel that way ever again." Gray relaxed, he still had some doubts but he pushed those aside. Upon hearing those words, his heart started beating rapidly and he didn't hesitate, fearing he'd overthink it and back down. He grabbed Natsu's vest and yanked the fire mage forward and pressed his lips against Natsu's. It was strange to feel warmth on his icy cold lips, but he found that he actually liked it. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away. Natsu had a surprised expression on his slightly flushed face, still shocked that Gray kissed him. Natsu recovered quickly and just looked at Gray. Gray was blushing and looking away, he couldn't believe he actually just kissed Natsu. He felt the couch shift a little and he turned his head to see why when Natsu's head smashed into his, knocking them both over onto the rest of the couch.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Gray rubbed the spot Natsu hit on his head. He saw Natsu rise up on his elbows and was also rubbing his forehead.

"Dammit ice block! Why did you have to turn?! I slammed right into your head!" He blushed, and then realized Natsu was on top of him.

"Uhh, sorry? I guess give me a warning next time." He muttered, looking away. He was still blushing and he wasn't sure how to make it go away. His eyebrow twitched as he realized something. "Wait… What did you just call me, Flame brain?!"

"Fine, whatever. I think you heard me perfectly clear, stripper." Natsu smirked at him, and he couldn't help but feel the urge to wipe that smirk clear off the idiot's face.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, squinty eyes?" He raised an eyebrow at the pinkette, but he couldn't help but smile at the familiar nicknames.

"Not really. Hey Gray?"

"Yes?"

"You look cute when you get angry." He felt his face get red from embarrassment and anger. Natsu was grinning, oblivious to the raven.

"E-excuse me?! I am NOT cute!" He felt himself getting more frustrated when the pinkette started chuckling.

"Your face is red! And you denying it makes it even better."

"My face is red because you're pissing me off! I really wanna-"

"Can I kiss you?" Gray could feel his face get even redder, if that was even possible. The question was so abrupt, Gray didn't know how to react at first, finally sputtering out a response.

"Don't ask, you idiot! That's weird!" Natsu cocked his head to the side, clearly confused.

"You told me to let you know, so I asked. How is it weird?"

"I don't know; it just is." Natsu raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"Fine, what do you want me to do then?" Gray rolled his eyes and sighed, exasperated.

"Just shut up and kiss me." Natsu smiled at him before leaning in. Their lips brushed against each other's, and he could feel Natsu's hot breath as the pinkette hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, Natsu crashed their lips together and began to kiss him. Too soon, Natsu pulled away, going stiff.

"Natsu? What's going on?" he asked in a daze.

"Looks like we have visitors." Natsu muttered and got up off the couch. Gray sat up, already on edge.

"Who? Natsu?" Natsu gave him a reassuring look.

"Don't worry. It's no one bad." He nodded at the pinkette reluctantly as he tried to calm down. Soon a loud knock sounded through his apartment, even though Natsu was already at the door, ready to open it. Gray walked over to the door quickly as Natsu swung it open. There stood Lucy, Lisanna, and Juvia; Lucy was carrying a duffel bag.

"Um, hey what's up?" Gray asked them. Why were they here?

"Hi! Can we come in?" Lucy asked cheerfully. He nodded slowly as they walked in. Natsu shut the door behind them. They all sat in the living room and looked at each other. Lisanna and Lucy sat with Natsu on the bigger couch, while Juvia sat extremely close to Gray on the smaller one made for two.

"So why'd you guys stop by?"

"Oh! Erza filled us in on what happened, and asked us to bring Natsu some stuff since you guys are staying together for a while!" Lucy explained, but he was still confused about why all of them had to come. Why didn't Lucy just come by herself?

"Juvia wanted to check up on Gray-sama after all that happened. So Juvia followed her. Plus, she's Juvia's love rival!" Lucy sweat dropped hearing the water mage's words, while Natsu just raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not your love rival! I don't like Gray like that!" Lucy tried to reason with the rain woman but it didn't seem to work, just like usual.

"I came with Juvia because I got along with her counterpart in Edolas, and it's nice to catch up." Lisanna smiled and looked up at Natsu. He felt his eye twitch with annoyance. It made sense for her to want to get close to Natsu again, seeing as they were really close before she went through the anima to Edolas, but did she really need to suck up so much in his house? Couldn't she talk to him in the guild? And why let Juvia come? Lucy knew that Juvia could get really annoying. This whole situation sucked.

"Hey Gray? Where's your bathroom?" Lisanna asked suddenly.

"It's down that hallway, first door on the left." She nodded and rose to head there. She took a step and her foot caught on the coffee table leg. She tripped and fell right onto Natsu's lap.

"I am so sorry! I am so clumsy, I swear I didn't mean to." She blushed immediately as she began to scramble to get up, but failed. She was basically flailing around in his lap until Natsu gently lifted her off his lap by her waist, helping her stand. Was it just him, or did Natsu's hands linger a little too long on her waist? Wait, what was he even thinking? He shook his head to be rid of the thoughts. He could feel Juvia clinging to him and staring up at him but he tried to ignore her, not wanting to hurt her feelings by snapping at her.

"Thank you Natsu." Lisanna said with a giggle. She was definitely blushing now. Natsu smiled brightly at her.

"Gray-sama, how have you been? Juvia's been worried. Gray-sama always seems sad when you come home. Juvia doesn't like seeing you like that." Juvia attempted to try and start a conversation, tightly gripping his arm.

"No problem!" Natsu replied and Lisanna walked off, presumably to the bathroom. Natsu glanced over with a small smile. He just stared at the pinkette before turning to talk to Juvia. He could see the confusion on Natsu's face out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it.

"Hey Juvia? Could you possibly loosen your grip please? And I'm fine. Wait, how would you know what I seem like here? Are you following me?" He asked incredulously. He could barely feel his hand, that's how tight she was clinging onto him. She nodded enthusiastically and stopped holding on so tightly. He almost sighed in relief when he felt the blood start rushing to his hand again.

"Juvia doesn't feel comfortable answering that. Gray-sama is just oblivious to Juvia." The rain woman had tears in her eyes, which made him uncomfortable. He didn't mean to make her cry.

"Juvia? I'm sorry, don't cry." She sniffed and nodded at him, smiling a little. Lisanna came back from the bathroom and he noticed that she was about to trip again. He tried to warn her, but he was too late.

"Lis-"

"Ahhh!" She wailed, this time tripping over Lucy's leg. Unfortunately for Natsu, she was once again going to land on him. Natsu's eyes widened once he saw Lisanna flailing towards him again. There was a thud as she landed and everyone's eyes went wide. Lisanna was on top of Natsu. And they were accidentally kissing. If that was even possible. He felt the annoyance bubble up again and turn into anger. He felt the anger well up even more when they didn't move apart. Suddenly, the air grew frosty as the temperature of the room plummeted.

TBC

Thanks to all who review, follow, and favorite! I really like hearing from you and knowing you like my story! ^^ Onto the reviews!

AsDarknessSpreads: "XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

Some confession that was! XD XD"

hahaha I really loved all the smiles! And thanks I tried hard to make it work for their personalities! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for your wonderful review! ^^

uzukun89: "I am curious about Natsu's troubled past before he met Igneel. Even the helpful Natsu (towards Gray) can be distressed as well (making him leave Fairy Tail guild for good). Fortunately, the fact that something mysterious is spying them forces him to stay with Gray (double squeal mode on). And for Erza, she is scary, as usual for the duo, yet is the most reasonable."

I delved into Natsu's past in this chapter because of this review! I honestly, wasn't planning on going into too much detail about it but I decided to go more into it because of you so thanks! And I agree, I wanted to show even Natsu has issues. Hahaha honestly I didn't even think about them staying together in a weird way until I read this. The squeal part especially made me laugh. Erza is definitely the most practical of their group! Thank you for your great review and I hope you liked this chapter!

QuatroPuppy: "This story's getting really good, can't wait for the next chapter although I'll be upset if Gray is captured again..."

Thank you! And I'm glad you like it. As for Gray getting recaptured, I haven't really thought that far ahead and I have many different ideas, so I guess you'll have to wait and see XD Thank you for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter!

DreamscomeTRUEEE: "The shouting was exactly how I pictured these two agreeing to date lol I considered putting something like this is my story once hahaa, you beat me to chap. Update soon."

I'm glad you thought it was fitting because I tried to word it many ways before coming to this with the help of a friend. It was similar but there was always something missing so I'm relieved to know that haha. I should apologize for not updating sooner, sorry! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thank you for reviewing! ^^

.oO: "The love confession was so funny XD I can't wait to see what will happen with this mysterious bad guy!"

Thank you! And I know! I can't wait to bring them into the story! But there a few more things I need to do first :P Thank you for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter! XD

Strife134: "I really enjoy this fanfic and I gotta say I hope you keep writing for this story it's so amazing. :3"

I am so glad you enjoy this story! And I definitely will keep writing for this story so don't worry :D it just took me a little bit to catch up after all that happened. I'm super happy to know you think it's amazing, that made my day! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter! ^^

Azab: "I loved it a lot"

I'm glad you like it and thank you for your review! I hope you liked this chapter! :)

sktrgrl13: "Okay I'm so so so happy that you found the confidence to post this story! This is seriously one of the most amazing natray stories I have ever read and the characters are in character! I seriously cannot wait for the next update! I wanna see who the main baddie is! Makes me wonder if it's someone we already know...GAHHH please don't make me wait too long :D And I love Gray's power by the way and can't wait to see what trouble it brings for our favourite guild and most importantly our favourite boys! XD"

When I got the email that you had reviewed, I was really worried! Just because I read all of your stories and the save me, help me, etc. series especially inspired me to write my own fanfictions and post them, so of course your opinion means a lot. I couldn't bring myself to read it at first but my sister kept telling me to, so I did. And honestly, I was so happy! I can't believe you like my story, let alone saying all the wonderful things you did about it! I'm glad they are in character and that you like it so much! And the mystery bad guy will reveal themselves soon enough, I just have a few things to add first :D I'm really sorry for not updating earlier like I usually do but I got so busy with school and then Europe! I'm glad you like his power; it's definitely going to be more focused on later as well and we shall see what trouble it brings :P I'm so so happy you like my story along with all of the other people who followed it! This review definitely made my day! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter! ^^

Lilmiu Shibuya: "omg what's gonna happen? :3 this story is awesome friend!"

Haha you shall see :P and thank you friend! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^


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